TEAM - 8
PCL – Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
Project Background:
Let’s consider two students -
1) A student who needs academic books and other study material for the academic
year, but can’t pay the entire price for various reasons such as: The books being too
expensive / Financial constraints / Wanting to save money or simply not wanting to
spend more money.
2) A student who has academic books and other study material of the previous year
and wants to sell them for reasons like: Making space for new books / Wanting to
make extra money / Using the money to buy new books etc.
As students who were once in the shoes of both Student 1 and Student 2, we came up
with the idea of ‘Book Xchange’ which can be used to solve both their problems at
the same time.
Here’s how we solve both their problems through the app:
● Book Xchange is an app that is all about bringing the students who want to sell their
old books to the students who want to buy those books.
● The app also contains important notes, question papers, answer keys, guide books etc.
for students who want to excel in their academics.
● Although the app is for all students, the idea of the app came up after noticing that the
underprivileged students could not afford expensive school / college books. We felt
the solution to their problems would be this platform, where they can find the same
books for much lower costs and can continue to chase their aspirations.
● Through this app, both the buyer and the seller get benefits as the buyer makes money
from their old books whereas the seller gets those books for a much cheaper cost as
compared to the original price.
● Students can also continue the cycle by passing down the same books which they
bought through the app once they are done with them.
● The criteria of setting the selling price of second-hand books would depend on
various factors such as market value, demand, number of pages and most importantly,
the condition of the book.
● With this app, we will be making a step towards our slogan that is ‘Education for All’.
● The government programs that promote education for underprivileged students such
as ‘Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan’, ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padao’ etc. ensure that the basic
educational requirements are met, but what happens when a student wants to learn
more than what’s given in the textbooks? That’s when we come into the picture. All
that needs to be done is to install the app and order whatever is needed!
● In this day and age where smartphones are easily available, our simple user interface
will make sure that everyone can use the app to maximise the benefits.
● The only requirements to use the app are a stable internet connection and a
smartphone.
● We will be awarding ‘Xchange Points’ to loyal customers which can be redeemed for
cash or used as a form of in-app currency to make purchases.
● All the students from all the age groups can use the required books as and when they
want.
● They have access to all the solved question papers, sample papers and many other
study materials, which are extremely useful.
● The parents get an additional plus point where they do not have to spend more on text
books and guides for their wards and can look up on other vital expenses.
● This way the students can also help their parents financially to help the family in other
expenses.
● This app is exclusively for all those students who wants to study hard and aspire to
become something and make their parents proud.
● There are a lot of students in our country who cannot afford to go to school and get a
proper education, so we have got a solution for all of those issues.
● Similarly, through this way a lot of bright students get themselves an opportunity to
prove them and show case their talents.
● We also have multiple offers for those who purchase the books with us.
● We also have a lucky draw every month. So the most deserving one from our family
gets a book of their choice. They can opt for any of the books which our application
provides.
● Through this, we get to see the interest of the people, their likes and dislikes and the
most frequent type of book sold.
● This helps us to give a shape for our business and to develop it as per the needs and
the requirements in the market.
● This makes us to change in the environment as to being dynamic, through getting to
know the preferences and taste of people.
● We also have a feature of scanned copies wherein we can scan the important papers
like question papers and sample papers for a clear out cut.
● All the students get a clear idea on to what is the application all about and helps them
to think and purchase according to their needs.
● Through this both the parties come up to a relationship, wherein we get to know each
other so that we can serve them accordingly.
● Our only aim is to serve our customers to the fullest. To look after them for all that is
required and make it a place for a happy environment.
● We will make sure that all the things are sorted and people can get their requirements
easily.
● We will also have the helping guide so that the student can get the desired book. The
helping guide will match and figure out and show the best results for the search.
● Through this, the buyer and the seller get benefitted in both ways. The buyer can
make use of the books to the fullest and score the best marks possible. Whereas, the
seller gets a benefit of making some profit by selling the required type of book to the
other party, so therefore it is justified and balanced in both ways.
The short term and long-term goals that we set for ourselves with this app are as follows:
● Our short-term goals are -
1) To create an environment where there are enough users and books to maintain a
balanced system of buyers and sellers.
2) To build a system in which people use the app not only for monetary gains but also
to help other users.
3) To attain enough funds to sustain in the market.
4) To create a simple and fast app for easy usage.
● Our long-term goals are -
1) To have a large collection of books that covers every single subject for every single
age category.
2) To ensure that no student has to give up on their dreams due to lack of access to the
needed books.
3) To be a company that is big enough to open physical outlets where the buying and
selling can happen with even more ease.
4) To collaborate with educational institutions and run programs for underprivileged
students and offer scholarships every year to the most deserving ones
5) To become a recognized platform among students and teachers that is trust-worthy
and reliable for all users across the country.
6) To attain necessary funds to expand into other parts of the education field such as
E-Tuitions, and to form a team with teachers all over the nation who are willing to
teach students through this platform
SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS:
1. Excellent customer service.
2. Highly efficient.
3. Available in low prices.
4. Focus on internal marketing.
5. Easy use of application.
6. Personal relationship with customers.
7. High integrity.
8. Efficient use of resources.
9. Informative environment.
10. Customer-centric approach.
WEAKNESS:
1. Limited retailing experience.
2. Little reuse of customer information.
3. Requires huge maintenance.
4. Poor product distribution.
5. No exchange available.
6. Less communication.
7. Low profit.
8. Huge products required.
9. No offline presence
10. Free shipping-increasing costs.
OPPORTUNITIES:
1. Distribution network expansion.
2. Creation of new product lines.
3. Add new support services.
4. Revenue growth.
5. Seasonal menus.
6. Unique features.
7. Customer needs.
8. Packaging
9. Product localisation
10. Attract a larger target audience.
THREATS:
1. Aggressive competition
2. Uncertain global economic conditions.
3. Increasing raw material costs.
4. Customers may be dissatisfied after delivery
5. Can operate at a loss to drive away competition.
6. Chand=ging customer attitude.
7. Increased urbanization.
8. Poor ratings.
9. Limited profits.
10. Decrease in interests.
NEED
For every academic term or semester, thousands of new textbooks are being printed, bought
and used.
On the other hand, almost the same number of textbooks and course material are being
discarded after its use and find its way to the garbage bins ultimately landing at the landfill
site where they are being buried, compacted and disposed of occupying precious land.
Usually, these textbooks are not being reused or recycled generating huge quantities of paper
waste.
We need to understand that it takes around three tons of trees to make one ton of paper which
also utilizes a huge quantity of water per ton than any other product in the world.
Paper making also produces high levels of air and water pollution which can be avoided.
Each ton of recycled paper can save 17 trees and 7,000 gallons of water. It takes one tree to
make 25 books.
By recycling our books, we are giving that tree a new purpose and reducing deforestation. It
is suggested that schools should hold semi-annual book sales to clear out old inventory.
Special bins/ containers for these books are to be made and appropriately placed in schools.
We need to clear our shelves, and get unused books back into circulation.
We've all been at the point where we have a huge pile of books that we're never going to
read, but don't want to throw them away. While some enjoy re-reading books again and
again, most of the time one read is more than enough, and then you're stuck with a big, bulky
item that's no longer of use.
Additionally, many of us book lovers find ourselves hesitating over paying premium prices
for a good read. So, our app allows you to buy and sell books from the comfort of your home.
You can sit at home and buy and sell books. Book Xchange app has a wide range of books on
sale from hundreds of individual sellers.
These pre-owned books can be bought for a fraction of their original price, with most of them
still being in great condition.
Our app allows you to communicate directly with sellers, where you can ask about the
product, or get in touch if you have issues with your item. You can even negotiate on the
price a little.
Also, many children whose parents’ financial condition is not so good can use our app as the
second-hand books are not costly and are affordable.
Our app provides books, guides and workbooks for students of class 10 to post graduate.
Students can prepare for their exams with workbooks and guides provided by our app.
On the app, you can favourite items, or save them if you're not looking to buy immediately,
but transactions are quick and simple via PayPal if you're looking to grab your find straight
away.
Book Xchange also makes it easy for you to sell your own books, be it textbooks, classics,
cookbooks or anything else. The selling process is quick and simple, and you can connect
your PayPal for easy payments.
By reusing the books we will also save the environment and it will also be useful to students.
The study materials provided by our app are of great use to students of class 10 to post
graduate students.
We need to understand that recycling and reusing is a responsibility of today for a better
tomorrow and that’s what Book Xchange is all about.
Relevance
To customers-
In our app people can who have books which are useless can sell their books and people
who wants books in cheaper price can buy from them, so basically our app will make a
connection between the buyers and sellers of the books. The seller can sell the books on
40% of the MRP and the buyers can buy it on 50% of MRP, the 10% will our business’s
income. Our app will also provide a platform where teachers, students and people can sell
their own notes and written works in a fair price.
To business
In the starting we will not earn huge profits as We will the new to the market so to bring
customers, we will provide services in cheaper price by deducting our profit. We provide
services in such a way that our business will run in no profit no loss. As the time when we
will start running, we will start increasing the profit margin slightly. When we will set in the
business, we will start expanding in different states.
We can also face many problems like customer knowledge and online glitches. We will face
competition from old bookstores, eBooks and online shopping sites such as amazon and
Flipkart but we will come up from all these problems through different strategies and
strengths. Our business’s strengths and strategies will be as follows
1. Providing cheaper books compare to other sites
2.Varieties and availability
3. Understanding individual problems and providing facilities
4. Fast deliveries
By all things in the above we will be able to achieve our objective and goals including
fulfilling our consumers personal objectives. Therefore, we are completely sure our idea and
strategies will work and we will be successful.
MARKET GAP ANALYSIS
A market gap analysis (performed internally or externally) is a way to research sales
opportunities where the demand is greater than the supply. Using this process can help a
company identify markets that are currently under-serviced. Business to consumer (B2C)
companies take advantage of this process often.
Our app main consumer are students who are in schools and colleges. Our targeted people are
not only in schools and college and their teachers. And people who are interested to read
books are also target people.
Our main consumers are the students who are going to schools and colleges. Our app will
launch in in India at the first so the students who studying in India will be our main
consumer.
There are more than 37.4 million students enrolled in higher education alone. So, if at least
10percentage of the total higher secondary students use our app then we will have huge profit
level. So, our business will be easily go up just in a month of release.
India is second highest student in the entire world after China. If our app succeeds in Indian
market the China will be our next target continued by USA.
Our app will be user friendly so that every student will be able to use easily.
OUR TARGET GROUPS ARE:
1. SCHOOL STUDENTS
2. UNDER GRADITUATES WHO STUDIES IN
COLLEGE
3. POST GRADIDUATES WHO STUDIES IN
COLLEGE
4. TEACHERS WHO TEACH SECONDARY
STUDENTS
5. TEACHERS WHO TEACH COLLEGE STUDENTS
6. STORY BOOK READERS
7. EDUCATIONAL BOOK READER
8. BUSINESS BOOK READER
GRAPH SHOWS THE NUMBER STUDENTS STUDYING IN SCHOOLS:
This shows there is an increase in no of students going to school so therefore
there will be an increase on the no of customer to our app through this way
our company will be able to sustain in the market for long period of time.
CHAPTER-2
Title of the study: Book Xchange App
It is an app where books can be purchased in a cheap and cost-efficient way. Books that are
used by a particular student in the present year can also be used by others in the following
years. For example, a student being in class 10 uses the book the whole of the year and next
year the student gets upgraded, that is the student moves to the next academic year and a new
class. This way the students who are in class 9 and moves to the next class, can get the books
from the seniors and use it. This way so much of paper is being saved and also the money.
The students can sell their respective books in the application and the interested students can
buy them and use it for their own needs and purpose. Through this both the buyer and the
seller gets benefited as the seller gets to see some minimum profits whereas the buyer can get
them and achieve great heights by excelling them. The app also provides important question
papers, notes and guide books for more clarity. The students can also purchase them for their
personal uses. This application is exclusively for the people who cannot afford buying
expensive books and hence they can buy them here and avail the things available. In this
note, the parents can spend less in this and more of in the personal expenses. Our app is
beneficial for all the people who purchase the books. Another feature of our app is that the
teacher can publish his or her notes like e-notes for a particular price and we will charge
commission on the selling price. And the students will have to pay the money and the
students can access the e-notes We are not only selling books for school students but we are
also selling books and notes even to the college students. Our app would change the present
scenario of buying first hand books for school. If this app become huge then there will be no
need to print new books and we can save more trees. And there will be less amount of money
spent on school books by the students and their parents. There are so many goals and
objectives for us to fulfil and to provide the best things possible for all the people who wants
to study and excel in the various platforms. We also want to create an environment where
there are enough users and books to maintain a balanced system of buyers and sellers.
therefore, we would like to introduce new books and more stuffs in the upcoming times and
to have a balance with the books as well as with the technology. We will also try changing as
per the market situation and the customer’s tastes and the preferences. We will also try to
ensure that no student has to give up on their dreams due to lack of access to the needed
books. Hence, it’s an app where so many people are connected and get a major advantage and
usefulness. It is a junction where all the types of books are available and can be purchased
and any time needed.
OBJECTIVES OF OUR APP:
● To provide cheap and affordable books
Used books may cost only half the rate of new books. Buy buying them students can
cut costs and buy more books with that money they saved. Unlike the other book
shops, students have option to bargain in the second hand shops. Students can
negotiate and buy as many books as they want.
● To help the environment
With the climate change crisis is the head concern worldwide, it is essential to help
the planet in every way possible and reuse all the potential products. By buying an old
book, you are reducing the number of new prints, eventually reducing paper usage
and helping the environment. Our goal is to reduce carbon emissions in all possible
ways, and every one of us should endeavour to reach that goal. Your part can be
played by reusing the books and reduce the printing of new books
● To enable students to experience the joy of exploring
As blissful as the walk in the bookstore's aisle seems to be, it is as adventurous to find
the books in the pile of second-hand books. The second-hand book shop is a box of
surprises; you never know which book you may bump into next. Sometimes, you end
up finding the title that you had almost given up on, which makes it more unique and
the process more joyful. This immense pleasure of exploring may not be given in the
neatly stacked book stores. Walking into a second-hand bookstall, you may return
without finding the book that you planned to buy, but you will never return without
being surprised at finding quirky prints.
● To keep the warm and the charm of the old book
Books get better with age, as many hands, it has traveled, you get as many stories to
experience in each turn of the page. E-books never provide the feel of holding a
paperback, and new books don’t provide the happiness of smelling an old book. With
each page, you are sure to get a glimpse of the old owner. This bond you have with
this person, you don’t know who is invaluable, which you only get with the old books
● To spread awareness about reusing old books
Students must understand the importance of books and should learn to use them
properly. You have the responsibility of a book not only till you finish reading it,
But also, after reading it. Students should stop dumping their old books, instead they
should start reselling their books, by which they can help many other students. On the
other hand, they should also stop buying new books every year, instead they should
start buying used books which are of lesser cost. This way students can save money
and the environment.
STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEM
It's no secret that school/college fees have skyrocketed in recent years, but the yearly cost of
attending isn't the only thing that's increased. Once you've covered the price of admission and
made it onto campus, you'll also need to pay for your textbooks. While this may seem like a
minor expense, some books can set you back tens of thousands of rupees.
What happens when students can’t afford a textbook? They don’t buy it. In fact, multiple
surveys have found that almost 2 out of 3 students have skipped buying a textbook because of
the price. While some classes don’t really use the book as part of the class, many do. And if a
student doesn’t have it, they miss out on learning.
According to the same study, 47.6% of students said they “occasionally or frequently take
fewer courses” because of textbook costs. 45.5% did not register for a course, 26.1% dropped
a course, 20.7% withdrew from a course because of the cost. And, though, the study doesn’t
mention it, how do you think that affects retention and graduation rates themselves? If they
are having to stay longer in college, and especially if they are struggling financially, it seems
logical it could affect those negatively.
When families have to start making a choice between a book or a meal, then it’s time to
realise the problem in hand and work on stopping it before it becomes a common sight.
The main problem we are trying to address with our research is the increasing gap between
the chances and opportunities a student gets when they’re from a stable financial background,
compared to a student coming from a comparatively poorer background. The opportunities
are almost proportional to how much they’re able to spend and are willing to spend. We are
trying to close that gap as it isn’t fair to the poor students.
School books are so much costlier than they were before, and asking for extra guide books or
study material puts a burden on their parents’ shoulders. This is a problem faced by middle
class families as well.
With the platform we provide, we help take that burden that off and also reduce the burden of
two parties at the same time as one party makes more money than they would have by selling
it here than by leaving it at home or throwing it away, and the other party spends lesser
money by buying the books here than by buying it from an outlet or their school itself.
We believe that education is something which shouldn’t be deprived off someone due to
financial incapability. We hope to tackle this issue and be a catalyst for change in the
industry.
Apart from the major issue mentioned above, here are some other issues that we will be
tackling subsequently. Since our platform isn’t specialised to tackle the issues which are
about to be mentioned below, we wouldn’t be making ground-breaking numbers in these
industries. Here are the other issues which we are trying to mildly tackle in the process of
tackling the major issue:
1) Unemployment: Students will be able to use the money saved/made through the
platform to kickstart their careers and avoid being unemployed
2) Teachers’ Pay: As per our research, due to the pandemic, many teachers were faced
with a cut in salary or even worse, they were removed from their jobs. So, in our
platform, we also allow teachers to publish notes for students to buy at cheap rates.
Even this way, two parties are benefited by this feature.
3) Student Motivation: Without the burden of costly books, students can be more relaxed
and study without any financial pressure. They wouldn’t be pressurised to study with
the sole purpose of recovering the money.
4) Textbook Publishers’ Monopoly: As our app gains more popularity, textbook
publishers will be forced to reduce the prices and make it affordable to more people.
This will help in stopping their monopoly over this market as they’d realise that there
are other options for students as well.
Above mentioned were most of the problems in the market which we are trying to
tackle with our research. It is a long process, but as time progresses, we will be
tackling each of the issues and overcoming them. We are doing our best in our scope
to improve the quality and accessibility of education in the country, which will
eventually result in brighter and smarter students who will contribute to the world
with their knowledge.
Expected outcomes
A startup is a young company that is beginning to develop and is in its early stages of
development. startups play a key role in economic growth. As we know, business activities
help in the creation of jobs and global data shows startups are creating more jobs compared to
the large companies and enterprises. Our startup will help the society and also take part in
economic development through following ways-
1. By creating more jobs- in initial stage our startup will be in smaller portion but when
it starts to prosper and expand it will create job opportunities for the societies by it will
help in reduction of unemployment.
2. Creation of wealth- our startup in growth phase will attract many foreign investors to
invest through which we will take part in increasing foreign portfolio.
3. Better standard of living- by two ways our startup will help in improving standard of
living. Firstly, by providing services to the society. Secondly, our startup will create jobs
and attract investors by which it will help.
4. Increase in GDP- the gross domestic product plays a vital role in boosting economic
growth. We will try to generate more revenue in domestic market and capital which will
helps in increasing GDP.
5.Develop new technology- we will try to bring innovation and can boost economy
through the adoption of new technology and creating new industries over time.
India is a developing country with a mixed economy so it is very important to develop
the Indian economy for the growth of the nation. Half of the Indian workers rely on
agriculture for their livelihoods. Here we are going to discuss the impact of startups in
the Indian economy and how it helps in the growth of our country
Now India is laying on many other countries. India needs to be self-sustainable in every
field such as medical, education, technology…, for these startups are very necessary,
That’s why governments are implementing many schemes for a start-up. The
government has introduced many policies that aim to ease the business environment for
startups. studies show that India needs more than 100 million jobs a year and the jobs ,
start ups may be small companies but they play a major role in giving jobs in India. When
more jobs are created more income for people are created that means the much-
improved economy is created. When people have money to spend then it is circulated in
the Indian market which improves the income of the government. A good
entrepreneurship culture is developing in India which gives importance in quality and
timely delivery of work which attract customers toward their product or service.
India is a country filled with talented professionals. They have many ideas and
potentials, they all like to explore it also but they lack resources to do.
TYPE AND THE SCOPE OF THE STARTUP
BOOK XCHANGE is an e-commerce which sells book online through app in India. Our app sells book
and buy boo through online platform like amazon, flipkat, etc. BOOK XCHANGE app sells book and
buy book through internet. BOOK XCHANGE app is easy to use and it is user friendly. BOOK
XCHANGE app helps people to sell books easily. BOOK XCHANGE app helps people to buy books
easily.
Our company is all about linking buyers of the books and sellers of the book. In the book xchange
app the passed-out students will sell their books to the upcoming students. This will continue as a
chain so that students don’t have to spend more money on books every year. If a student logs into
our app, there will be columns showing different boards, if the student chooses a board, then he
should have to choose standards. Each will contain different books like subject wise and buyer or
seller will choose a subject book then he will sell it or buy it.
Another feature of our app is that the teacher can publish his or her notes like e-notes for a
particular price and we will charge commission on the selling price. And the students will have to pay
the money and he can access the e-notes
We are not only selling books for school students but we are selling books and notes even to the
college students
The books and materials available in our app:
● School and college book, notes and guides
● Important questions asked in previous year paper
● Sample question paper
● All the important notes given by the teachers
There are many companies in the online which sells books or second-hand books. But there is no
company in the digital market which will sell school or college second hand books, this way we are
different from other digital marketing apps.
Our app would change the present scenario of buying first hand books for school. If this app become
huge then there will be no need to print new books and we can save more trees. And there will be
less amount of money spent on school books by the students and their parents.
The e-commerce business is one of the FASTLY GROWING business. Since our startup is also e-
commerce business so it is great advantage to our business.
