The record store chain HMV has, in recent years, found its traditional business model impacted by high levels of digital disruption. From a social and technological standpoint, technology acceptance in entertainment media, such as online shopping and streaming, has perhaps made interactions with bricks and mortar shops less of a physical necessity than it was even ten years ago.

For this piece of work, I examined the micro- and macro-environments in which HMV were operating. I conducted SLEPT and SWOT analyses, investigated marketplace channel structures, developed sample customer journeys, created an online marketplace map and carried out social media and search audits. At the time of writing in April 2019, HMV's online shopping facility was suspended.

I found that in the absence of a functioning online sales platform, HMV had turned their social media platforms into a virtual store assistant. Their platforms promoted upcoming products and events, and stayed on top of communicating with customers.

I recommended several low-risk opportunities for HMV to progress as a digital business. Firstly, getting its online store back up and running (they did this in October 2019). This could be promoted in advance by leveraging the excellent relationship the company has with customers on social media. I also recommended that HMV could reintermediate into streaming by establishing a working relationship with an existing streaming service.

The work I carried out was sufficient to earn me a distinction-level mark as part of my MSc in Computing from Edinburgh Napier University.