Comparison Of B2C Financial Accounting Services In Australia - Essay.

1. How does the website URL relate to the business name?
2. How easily is the website found using general internet search engines (e.g. Google, Ask, AltaVista, Bing, Yahoo!)?
3. Does the website give me all the organisational information a user could reasonably require?
4. Are requirements to provide a user’s (personal or sensitive) information appropriate?
5. How well does the website reassure users about the security and use of their information?
6. How well does the website foster user trust in the organisation?
7. How well does the website address legal issues associated with use of the website or engagement in transactions?
8. How well does the website provide for the accessibility needs of users?
9. How well does the website address the language or cultural needs of users?
10. Does the website contain all the product information that a user could reasonably require?
11. Does the website allow all the customisation (user-managed features) that a user could reasonably expect?
12. How well does the website personalise the experience for users?
13. Does the website identify sufficient channels for user service/support?
14. How easy is it to find any information on the website about the organisation, their products or services?
15. How easy is the information on the website to read (i.e. is provided information in appropriate language and with sufficient detail for most users)?
16. Is the website easy to navigate (i.e. move through the website to find information, products, or services, and engage in transactions with the organisation)?
17. How appropriate are the website aesthetics (e.g. use of layout, colours, imagery, fonts, etc) for the target audience?
18. How well does the website foster community among users?
19. How quickly does the website load into your browser and do all website features, links and embedded objects (eg: media files or applets) work as intended? 

 Marking Criteria 

As technology advances and more people and organizations use the internet, businesses are also expanding their horizons into the internet, where they can provide the same services as they would offer in a brick and mortar location to their customers, or adopting a hybrid with a physical outlet as well as an online presence[1]. Retailers, for instance, have retail stores and an e-commerce website where clients can conduct transactions and purchase goods they would normally obtain from the physical store, only that the e-commerce option is more convenient as one does not need to visit the store[2].

In the online realm, businesses can offer products and services to other businesses, in a model known as B2B, or provide services directly to consumers without the use of middlemen such as wholesalers, a model known as B2C[3]. In this paper, two B2C e-commerce websites are considered for evaluation; the two websites (all based in Australia), are evaluated based on features and characteristics that make them B2C websites and then the kind of service they provide is also evaluated. Finally, the websites are assessed based on various features and graded, and then conclusions made.

Task A

The chosen financial services provides are Online tax Australia found at  and Pink Cow Tax Refund Services, also an Australian tax services company found at  Both are online based financial services operating out of Australia.

Patricia Nakache, "Forbes Welcome", Forbes.Com, last modified 2010, accessed May 10, 2018, 

Statista', "Topic: E-Commerce Worldwide",, last modified 2018, accessed May 10, 2018,  

ed Bowsher, "Online Retail Sales Continue To Soar", Ft.Com, last modified 2018, accessed May 10, 2018,  

 The Online Tax Australia website is a B2C it places focus on selling services directly to consumers through its e-commerce website. Visiting the page, one is immediately shown a link where a returning user can log in and a button where new users can sign in to the business. Further, the main content when visiting the page immediately tells the visitor about the products and services that the company is offering. Further, the website sells online tax services directly to her customers without the need for using intermediaries; an individual only needs to evaluate the available services offered and what each type of service is about and can then register. An e-mail is then sent to the customer to authenticate themselves and then they are confirmed, meaning that the registered person is the one dealing directly by the company[1].

Description

For Pink Cow tax Refund Services, the company’s website is also a B2C website because it provides individual tax services online through its website. The company essentially provides tax refund services to her clients through its e-commerce website; one only needs to visit the website and then select the type of service they want, such as claiming a tax refund or claiming a super . They will then register and get an e-mail message to confirm their details, after which they can then provide their details, including on the kind of refund they want. The website also has a calculator so a prospective user is able to calculate the exact amount of their tax refunds[2].

            In both the websites, there is need for  the establishment of a clear information architecture and have compelling content that will keep a user interested and to proceed to check out other options and services, and hopefully, conduct a transaction. The websites are also B2C sites because they have another feature of B2C websites which is providing details about the products (services) they offer; essentially, they are services that would be customers care about; for instance, online tax filing and claiming tax refunds. The websites offer these services on behalf of their clients so that the clients pay a small fee rather than have to navigate the process of filing their tax returns or claiming refunds. Further, the websites have a simple and easy to use interactive website design where they can also ask queries and get responses through e-mail or make calls.

For instance, Pink Cow provides a calculator from within the website where users can calculate their expected tax refunds and have an idea of the amount before signing up for the service. Both websites offer account management services so users can view their past transactions by logging in. They also have an order management checkout and the transaction process is not long drawn out as would be the case with B2B (business to business) websites; in the two websites under consideration, transactions can last less than ten minutes. The websites are used to inform the client about products (services) offered by the respective firms, and to facilitate transactions such as making payments in exchange for a service, as well as to influence the customers’ decision to either buy or not buy. Finally, in both the websites, purchases can be made directly by the customer for a variety of services. These features fulfill the characteristics and features of B2C websites as described.

Tasks

Task C

            Online Tax Australia has four main principal business goals; to inform the wider public about their presence, to provide high quality online personal tax services, to facilitate transactions with customers, to provide customer services, and to sell their services. In terms of informing, the website is used as a portal to create a Online presence, so that is someone searches for ‘personal online tax services Australia’, the website will show up among the search returns.  As such, the website serves the role of an advertising platform in the world wide web[7].

The website also serves to inform; that is , to show potential clients the services offered, along with their pricing. For Online tax Australia, the website under ‘services’, also give the prices of the products they provide and a description of eat each service package entails. Its other business objective is providing customer services where a client can make a query or contact the company by e-mail (or phone) and get a response; a client may inquire on the status of a service or make a complaint, or seek additional information. The website also has the business objective of selling; where the company sells services and then facilitates payment. The principal business of Online Tax Australia is providing online tax returns and consultancy services geared towards the consumer

            The main business provided by the company through its website is tax claim services; Pink Cow’s website has the business objectives of promoting its services, using the site for advertising purposes, customer service and interaction, and selling its services with an online payment transaction processing feature. For advertising, the website informs visitors of their products and services and when a user searches for such services using a search engine, they are likely to be led to the website of have the website appear among the search results, given that it is providing a niche service.  Through the website, that is linked to social media, the company can advertise and promote its services as well as interact with customers, and provide a first point for customer service. It is also a portal for selling its services where customers can make payments and the website processes the payments 

Part D 

 Part F

            After evaluating both the websites the Online tax Australia is likely to be more successful than Pink Cow; while Pink Cow has done very well with concepts of HCI (human computer interaction) and have a visually compelling website as well as a niche service it offers to customers, for an online accounting/ tax service, being conservative is the key. The name may mean anything and it is highly unlikely that a user would search for Pink Cow; likely, a user will search for something like ‘Online tax services Australia’ or something similar and then get the websites offering such a service. The naming of the Online Tax  Australia is very strategic as this gives it an upper edge when it comes to search engine rankings. Further,  Online Tax  Australia also provides a wider range of services and products, and have listed their prices for the various categories of products, something that Pink Cow does not provide. Provision of relevant and detailed information to consumers creates customer confidence and is likely to lead to a purchase decision[8] by a visitor using Online Tax Australia than when using Pink Cow.

Bowsher, Ed. 2018. "Online Retail Sales Continue To Soar". Ft.Com. 

Daniel, Ian. 2011. E-Commerce. S.L.: NeuroDigital.

Ham, Jaap. 2018. Persuasive Technology. Cham: Springer.

Lee, In. 2012. Electronic Commerce Management For Business Activities And Global Enterprises.Hershey, Pa.: IGI Global (701 E. Chocolate Avenue, Hershey, Pennsylvania, 17033, USA).

Nakache, Patricia. 2010. "Forbes Welcome". Forbes.Com. 

'Online Tax Australia'. 2017. "Online Tax Australia | Lodge Tax Return Online". Onlinetaxaustralia.Com.Au.

'Pink Cow'. 2018. "Backpacker Working Holiday Tax Back And Super Refunds - Don't Forget To Claim Back Your Super And Tax When Leaving Australia". Pinkcow.Com.Au.

Rajagopal, Desikacharya. 2013. Managing Social Media And Consumerism: The Grapevine Effecti n Competitive Markets. 1st ed. New York: Palgrave MacMillan.

Sarner, Adam. 2018. "Defining A Primary Goal For Your B2C Website". Computerweekly.Com.

Snell, Steven. 2016. "9 Characteristics Of Well-Designed E-Commerce Websites". Vandelay Design. 

'Statista'. 2018. "Topic: E-Commerce Worldwide". 

'Online Tax Australia', "Online Tax Australia | Lodge Tax Return Online", Onlinetaxaustralia.Com.Au, last modified 2017, accessed May 10, 2018,  

'Pink Cow', "Backpacker Working Holiday Tax Back And Super Refunds - Don't Forget To Claim Back Your Super And Tax When Leaving Australia", Pinkcow.Com.Au, last modified 2018, accessed May 10, 2018,

Adam Sarner, "Defining A Primary Goal For Your B2C Website", Computerweekly.Com, last modified 2018, accessed May 10, 2018,  

Steven Snell, "9 Characteristics Of Well-Designed E-Commerce Websites", Vandelay Design, last modified 2016, accessed May 10,  

Desikacharya Rajagopal, Managing Social Media And Consumerism: The Grapevine Effect In Competitive Markets, 1st ed. (New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2013). 

Jaap Ham, Persuasive Technology (Cham: Springer, 2018). 

In Lee, Electronic Commerce Management For Business Activities And Global Enterprises (Hershey, Pa.: IGI Global (701 E. Chocolate Avenue, Hershey, Pennsylvania, 17033, USA), 2012). 

Ian Daniel, E-Commerce (S.L.: NeuroDigital, 2011).