Sunday, October 28, 2012

Final Post


The Elite Shopper Experience started out as an idea where shoppers could add their favorite items into a shopping bag and by the time they arrived in the store their clothes would be waiting for them. Personalized shopping could never be easier; customers pick an appointment time with the store of their choice and the items they added to their cart would be waiting, to their specifications, in a changing room. Through facial recognition technology, customers would be spotted the second they walked through the door and would immediately be taken care of by employees.

Originally, my idea had nothing to do with social media. I had not factored any social media networks into my online application and later decided to add this feature to the app. i want to add a customer service line through Twitter and Facebook. Doing this will help us engage with our customers, help them if they are unhappy with the service, and it also gives The Elite Shopper Experience free press if customers are satisfied.

Through Facebook and Twitter, customers can also share the brands products, their stories about the experience, and let others know about their elite shopping moments as they go. Customers can also check in through Foursquare and if the store allows, the customer can access a discount or coupon, which will help to bring them back to the store in the future. This will create initiative for them to return and tell their friends about the service.

Another important aspect added to The Elite Shopper Experience is the delivery feature. This feature let's shoppers decide whether they want to go in-store to try on the clothes, or have the clothes delivered to their house. If the clothes delivered don't fit or are not to the customer's taste, they can ship it back for return and refund. This will make shopping time much less consuming. I also added the special occasion reminder feature which tells customers when a special occasion may be coming up according to their schedule. Once reminded, customers will realize they need something new to wear and make an appointment with the store or have something delivered.

Through research, I discovered ways in which I could improve my idea. Adding social media outlets, a delivery-system option, and a special-occasion-reminder setting to The Elite Shopper Experience will definitely make the idea more appealing to customers. To make this idea a reality, I would need to contact elite stores that are interested in making personal shopping easier and more exclusive. Once they gained interest, I would have to explain the costs of installing the facial recognition system and how much of their customers' info would be stored in our database. If their interest continued, the feature could begin implementation and The Elite Shopper Experience would be available to that stores' customers.

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Computer Security


  • Making sure that my computer is protected from viruses and various crime is imperative to the success of my entrepreneurial idea. The information in my computer will be extremely valuable to the brand and security will need to be tight. With so much personal information to control, the risk of a security breach would be extremely unfortunate and could possibly lead to the downfall of the company.
  • My idea would benefit from computer security because we will have credit card records on file and personal information of the customers. Without protecting this information, it would have the potential to be stolen which could lead to many lawsuits. Stressing the importance of security on the entrepreneurial idea's software is a necessity. Because the idea is based so closely on personalization, this means personal information will be stored on our systems.
  • With such personal information being stored may come with consequences if there is a lack of security for the company's system. A secure computer security system is important for the customers' conscience too as this will make them feel more confident about giving our company their information. Controlling who accesses the information is important as well; my company would not want our customer's information available to everyone, but rather just the right people who deserve access.

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Operating Systems


Entrepreneurial Idea: The Elite Shopper

  • While shopping online, a purchaser places his or her favorite items onto a wish list. The purchaser takes the items that were chosen and while on line makes an appointment time with the store's stylist. The stylist will hold the items and when you arrive for your appointment, places the items into a dressing room for you to try on. When showing up for the appointment, facial recognition of the purchaser is performed by a store computer and he or she is escorted into a dressing room to try on the items. After shopping, the purchaser's finger is scanned by another computer and the selected items are automatically charged to the purchaser's credit card.
Operating systems : The Elite Shopper

  • Working in an industry where time is money means that one requires a fast, up-to-date, top of the line operating system for their company. Whether in the store or at headquarters, functioning with older operating systems slows down the ability to do business well. Operating systems are required for the understanding of a computer for those not in the information technology field; they convert computer language to a language that the majority of the population can understand. Without the operating system, there is no function of a computer and instead there is a black screen when booted on.
  • My idea benefits from the use of operating systems because we use facial recognition software which is a computer application. Without software, my store couldn't recognize customers and therefore the experience would be less personalized. The main part of my idea that I want to stress is how personalization leads to happier, more frequent customers and without facial recognition on my computer, I would lose a vital part to the experience.
  • The operating system I would want to use would be able to work with a program for my shoppers. It would manage the information entered into files and organize it accordingly. My operating system would also help me to perform specific tasks catered to my customers' needs and desires. The Elite Shopper Experience would be useless without operating systems as it requires a connection with the facial recognition software being used.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Blogger Review


YOUNG, FABULOUS, & SELF-EMPLOYED

  • YFS, also known as Young, Fabulous & Self-Employed, was created by Erica Nicole, serial entrepreneur, and Lauren Rich, CEO of the boutique public relations agency RICHPR. Nicole not only founded YSF, but is also a memory of the Young Entrepreneur Council and the National Association of Professional Women. She has received many awards for her creation of YSF and has been featured on reputable sties that include Forbes.com, Portfolio.com, and more. Rich graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology based in New York City with a major in Advertising and Marketing Communications. Not only did Rich obtain her first two clients while still a student, but she now has offices in both New York City and London. RICHPR services clients in event production, writing, publicity, and social media.
  • Young, Fabulous & Self-Employed is a an online magazine that gives advice on small business startups and entrepreneurship while also delivering news on both topics. They post original content on how to succeed in an entrepreneurial or small business throughout the whole website and YFS also invite visitors to write articles for the site. YFS suggests books, news of other entrepreneurial events, and tips in all sections of their webazine. At the top of their page, they have categories from which to chose from named Getting Started, Running a Business, Success Profiles, Savvy Startups, Stylish Gadgets, and Lifestyle; all containing subcategories organizing the site further.
  • After researching and discovering YSF, I was immediately drawn to their openness to writers; letting anyone who desires to submit an article to the website is a bold move which creates huge networking benefits for both YSF and others. Inspirational posts about success stories gives hope to entrepreneurs everywhere as seeing is believing. Though the web magazine has many categories to chose from to explore, when I searched "fashion" in the search bar, I saw that the amount of posts about the topic were rarely posted and nothing truly focused on fashion entrepreneurship. After seeing all of the categories on the site, I expected there to be a section on what seems like a business with such huge entrepreneurial opportunities. I wanted to see inspirational stories about fashion as my entrepreneurial idea was fashion-related and I could not find one. Regardless, YSF is very informative, inspirational, and open to readers and writers alike.