SHOPPING MALL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

ABSTRACT

The Shopping Mall Management System (SMM SYSTEM) application enables vendors to set up online shops, customers to browse through the shops, and a system administrator to approve and reject requests for new shops and maintain lists of shop categories. Also on the agenda is designing an online shopping site to manage the items in the shop and also help customers purchase them online without having to visit the shop physically.

            Our online shopping mall will use the internet as the sole method for selling goods to its consumers. The consumer will be in complete control of his/her shopping experience by using the “unique storefront” concept. Shopping will be highly personalized and the mall will provide lower prices than most competitors. This, in brief, is a description of our product which will showcase a complete shopping experience in a small package.

INTRODUCTION

                  Today the internet and its boom have created a new economic scenario that not only stresses on the classical concept of the “product” but also on the modern concept of “service”. It is this level of service that dictates whether a commercial venture will succeed or not in the market. To provide a high accessibility of service we will design the online shopping website, so that potential customers need not go to a physical shop to buy products or services. They just need to online to complete their purchases. Unlike the prevailing “brick and mortar” shops which have physical existence, we will operate solely from cyberspace.

                  Most current systems have a physical foundation that is the root cause to quite a number of problems. By maintaining multiple store fronts, itself being an expensive proposition, store prices are forced to rise. Thus, by using our product, our clients’ competitors are at a disadvantage because their costs are significantly higher than our costs, allowing our clients to sell the same goods at a lower price. As people become more accustomed to using the internet, they view ordering products and services online as a time-saving and cost-saving experience, which is the very essence of our online shopping system. Maintaining the deliverable goods as well as services through single or multiple windows is also on the agenda.

Mall Administrator:

                    The Mall Administrator is the super user and has complete control over all the activities that can be performed. The application notifies the administrator of all shop creation requests, and the administrator can then approve or reject them. The administrator also manages the list of available product categories. The administrator can also view and delete entries in the guestbook.

Shop Owner:

                    Any user can submit a shop creation request through the application. When the request is approved by the Mall Administrator, the requester is notified, and from there on is given the role of Shop Owner. The Shop Owner is responsible for setting up the shop and maintaining it. The job involves managing the sub-categories of the items in the shop. Also, the shop owner can add or remove items from his shop. The Shop Owner can view different reports that give details of the sales and orders specific to his shop. The Shop Owner can also decide to close shop and remove it from the mall.

Mall Customer/Guests:

                A Mall Customer can browse through the shops and choose products to place in a virtual shopping cart. The shopping cart details can be viewed and items can be removed from the cart. To proceed with the purchase, the customer is prompted to login. Also, the customer can modify personal profile information (such as phone number and shipping address) stored by the application. The customer can also view the status of any previous orders, and cancel any order that has not been shipped yet.

Employees:

·         Purchase department under a Purchase manager to overlook purchasing activities if warehousing needs arise.

·         Sales department under a Sales manager who will look after the sale of products and services, the most important activity.

·         Accounts department under an Accounts manager to look after the accounting activities of the enterprise.