Course 2026-2027 a.y.

Classes: 31 (II sem.)

Instructors:
Class 31: DEBORAH CAROLINA RACCAGNI

If until a few years ago e-commerce was considered an “add-on component” for companies, today it represents a central pillar of value creation and competitive advantage. This course aims at developing a comprehensive understanding of the evolving eCommerce ecosystem, equipping students with the analytical tools and managerial skills required to design, manage and scale digital commerce initiatives. Compared to traditional approaches, the course places a stronger emphasis on platform-based competition and marketplace dynamics, as well as on the integration of synchronous and asynchronous learning formats to enhance critical discussion and applied learning.

The course covers the key processes, tools and managerial decisions required to manage an eCommerce business, with a focus on both direct-to-consumer and platform-based models:

Ecommerce business models

Omnichannel and unified commerce strategies

Marketplace and platform strategies: governance, economics and growth levers

Digital merchandising and data-driven assortment strategies

Pricing management (data-driven and dynamic pricing)

UX and conversion optimization

Content management (product, marketing and information)

Customer acquisition and traffic generation (performance marketing, SEO, metrics)

Customer service and experience design

Digital trade marketing and buying process

Supply chain, logistics and reverse logistics

Order, customer and stock flow management

Technological platforms supporting eCommerce

Online payment systems and fintech integration

eCRM and customer data platforms

P&L management and unit economics

eCommerce KPIs and performance measurement

Recommendation systems and personalization

Marketing automation

AI impact on eCommerce and decision-making

At the end of the course student will be able to...

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

• understand the evolution of eCommerce and data-driven retail models
• analyze and compare different eCommerce business models, including marketplace and platform ecosystems
• understand the key drivers of performance across the eCommerce value chain
• interpret data and analytics to support decision-making in areas such as pricing, assortment and customer acquisition

At the end of the course student will be able to...

Students will be able to:

• design and manage an eCommerce business within an omnichannel strategy
• evaluate the role of marketplaces in growth strategies and channel mix
• use data and KPIs to monitor and optimize performance
• critically assess strategic and operational trade-offs in digital commerce

• Lectures
• Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
• Collaborative Works / Assignments
• Interaction/Gamification
• Competitions/Hackathons

The course adopts a blended disucssion based learning model, where approximately one third of the content is delivered asynchronously through multimedia materials (videos, podcasts, interactive content and readings), enabling students to acquire foundational knowledge independently and maximize in-class time for discussion, case analysis and critical reflection.

Lectures - A blended format combines on-demand digital content with high-impact classroom sessions. Core concepts are learned independently, freeing up class time for discussion, cases and real-world application.

Guest Speaker’s Talks (in class or in distance) - Industry leaders and platform experts bring first-hand insights into the classroom, connecting theory with the latest trends and sparking interactive discussion.

Collaborative Works / Assignments - Team-based projects challenge students to apply concepts to real business scenarios, leveraging data, tools and strategic thinking.

Interaction / Gamification - Quizzes, simulations and live interactions make learning dynamic and engaging, with continuous feedback and active participation.

Competitions / Hackathons - Fast-paced challenges and hackathons push students to solve real eCommerce problems, fostering creativity, teamwork and execution under pressure.

	Continuous assessment	Partial exams	General exam
Written individual exam (traditional/online)			x
Collaborative Works / Assignment (report, exercise, presentation, project work etc.)	x
Peer evaluation	x

The status of attending is assigned to students who participate to the group project.

The status is valid for the first three exam sessions.

 

ATENDING STUDENTS

Grades will be computed as follows:

1. Group Activities - 50% of the total grade (15 points)

2. Written Final examination: 50% of the total grade (16 points)

 

 1.  Examination

The written final examination will be closed-book, short answer and/or multiple-choice, in class exam.

The written exam includes questions referring to cases, talks and related concepts, models and tools presented and discussed in class. It assesses students’ ability to apply the theory and methods learned in the course.

 

 

2.  Group Activities

The group activities (which may be more than one) provide an opportunity to apply the course concepts and to carry out an in-depth analysis of strategic issues of interest to you. You can do this in a team (up to 5-6 people) following the guidelines distributed in class.

 

The marks obtained on activities remain valid for the first three exam sessions, only. Students who take the exam in later dates will be treated as non-attendants.

The activities and the individual written exam are respectively evaluated on a 0-15 scale and 0-16 scale. The marks of the field projects and the individual written exam are summed up. To pass the exam, students must obtain a minimum score of 9 at the written exam and an overall mark of at least 18. An insufficient final mark (i.e., lower than 18) implies the repetition of the exam at the same conditions of non-attending students.

There is no oral integration.

NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

Written exam based on the textbooks - 100%.

 

The questions are aimed at verifying the ability to apply the knowledge students learned when studying the teaching material. 

ATTENDING STUDENTS

Instructors'notes.

Material distributed through BB (TBD)

NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

Textbook Digital Business and E-Commerce Management.

Dave Chaffey, Tanya Hemphill, David Edmundson-Bird. Pearson Education Limited, 2024- 8th edition