The main questions we’d like students to help us answer are the following:

• Who are our ideal target customers that need to enhance their inventory management capabilities and connect their customers both online and offline? Which categories of retailers need these services most?
• Does Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning on Demand Forecast solve their emerging problems? Will digital loyalty programs meet the customer expectation of a better shopping experience and increase sales for SME Retailers?
• A cloud IT solution with minimum subscription fee and ride on Amazon AWS cloud services give the best value for SME Retailers?
• Should we solely rely on social media including Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to promote our IT solutions? If not, what marketing mix should we implement?
• What budget is appropriate in between promoting the brand and acquiring pilot customers?
• What kind of format such as KOL, online demo site, live demo to better explain our value proposition?

The final deliverable will be a report containing the following information and analysis:

• An analysis of our target SME retailers, including recommendations for how to reach them online and offline
• Segmentation by industry based on value proposition, targeting the customer group by industry and brand positioning/differentiation with other competitors. Please note that Apana aims to offer a new ecosystem which is an extension of their existing store technology systems.
• A market mix strategy analysis (Product by features, Place by province, Price by industry and Promotion by different media channels)
• Recommendations for how to leverage social media to reach our target audience
• Recommended marketing strategies at each stage of the marketing funnel (Awareness, Interest, Consideration, Conversion)
• An updated communication strategy for communicating our value proposition

Students will connect directly with the employer for mentorship and supervision throughout the project. A virtual kick off meeting will be arranged to align expectations and clarify any questions. Project organization, team structure and roles and responsibilities will be shared and aligned during the kick off meeting.

Regular meeting cadence will be arranged. A weekly status report will be published by the employer which is based on the update by the students. The goal is to track overall project status and highlight potential risk for attention/resolution. Students should expect more frequent meetings at the end of the project.

Any questions will be answered within 3 working days. In case a team member needs to withdraw during the project. The employer will discuss with the steering committee to rearrange the roles and responsibilities.