Sam's cafe goes digital
Sam owns a small cafe. For ten years he used a paper diary, a till and a notice board.
Now he has a website for orders, a social media page, an app for staff work times and a shared folder for recipes.
Each tool helps a different part of the business. Today you look at four of those parts.
Key words
| Word | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Market research | Finding out what customers want and what other businesses do. | A list of questions that customers answer |
| Brand | The name, look and feeling that makes people recognise a business. | A logo and a colour |
| Analytics | Counting and studying data to learn what is working. | How many people visited a page |
| Personalise | Change what you show to suit one person. | "You may also like..." suggestions |
| Customer retention | Keeping customers so they buy again. | A card that gives a reward after ten visits |
| Intranet | A private website for the staff of one organisation. | A staff news page |
| Automation | A machine or program does a job that a person did. | A robot that packs boxes |
| Performance management | Setting goals for staff, checking them and giving feedback. | A yearly review |
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Quick check: which tool?
Have a go
Quick check: which tool?
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
Sales and marketing
Digital systems help a business find customers and keep them.
Market research is faster: online surveys and search data show what people want. A social media page tells people about the brand. A website sells all day. Systems remember what each customer bought and suggest more.
Sales and marketing: seven ways digital helps
| Way | Example |
|---|---|
| Better market research | An online survey of 200 students, in one afternoon |
| Brand promotion, including social media | A video of the cafe's new cake, shared in a few minutes |
| Online selling | Customers order a coffee on a website or app and collect it |
| Personalising services | The app says "You bought a latte last time. Try our new tea?" |
| Customer retention | An email with a free cake after ten visits |
| Showing how the brand is different | A site says the cafe is local and buys coffee from farms that pay a fair price. This sets it apart from a big chain |
| Analytic tools | Social media analytics show which posts people liked. Search analytics show what people looked for |
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Design and development, and people
Research, design and development. Digital tools help to build something new and different. Designers use 3D models, test ideas on screen and work with people far away. This helps a firm offer unique products and services.
Human resources (HR). Staff records, training records and performance reviews are kept in a system. It is quick to find a record. The records are private information about people, so the system must keep them safe.
Design and HR: examples
| Area | Digital system | What it gives |
|---|---|---|
| Research and design | 3D design tools and testing on screen | Faster, cheaper tests. Unique products |
| Staff records | An online staff record | Contact details and contracts in one safe place |
| Performance management | A system for goals and reviews | Clear goals and feedback |
| Training records | A system that shows who has done which course | A reminder when a certificate runs out |
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