Question:What do you think of online shopping? 1.2.3.4.5.What is the online shopping? What are the advantages of online shopping? What are the disadvantages of online shopping? Examples we usually see about online shopping.What people are worried about? Answer: The content of online shopping
Online shopping is the proce where by consumers directly buy goods or services from a seller in real-time, without an intermediary service, over the Internet.It is a form of electronic commerce.An online shop, eshop, e-store, internet shop, webshop, webstore, online store, or virtual store evokes the physical analogy of buying products or services at a bricks-and-mortar retailer or in a shopping centre.The proce is called Busine-to-Consumer (B2C) online shopping.When a busine buys from another busine it is called Busine-to-Busine (B2B) online shopping.In 1990 Tim Berners-Lee created the first World Wide Web server and browser.It opened for commercial use in 1991 .In 1994 other advances took place, such as online banking and the opening of an online pizza shop by Pizza Hut.During that same year, Netscape introduced SSL encryption of data transferred online, which has become eential for secure online shopping.Also in 1994 the German company Intershop introduced its first online shopping system.In 1995 Amazon launched its online shopping site, and in 1996 eBay appeared.
In recent years, online shopping has become popular; however, it still caters to the middle and upper cla.In order to shop online, one must be able to have acce to a computer, a bank account and a debit card.Shopping has evolved with the growth of technology.According to research found in the Journal of Electronic Commerce, if one focuses on the demographic characteristics of the in-home shopper, in general, the higher the level of education, income, and occupation of the head of the household, the more favourable the perception of non-store shopping., Enrique.(2005) The Impact of Internet User Shopping Patterns and Demographics on Consumer Mobile Buying Behaviour.Journal of Electronic Commerce Research, An influential factor in consumer attitude towards non-store shopping is exposure to technology, since it has been demonstrated that increased exposure to technology increases the probability of developing favourable attitudes towards new shopping channels.
Online shopping widened the target audience to men and women of the middle cla.At first, the main users of online shopping were young men with a high level of income and a university education.This profile is changing.For example, in USA in the early years of Internet there were very few women users, but by 2001 women were 52.8% of the online population.The main idea of online shopping is not just in having a good looking website that could be listed in a lot of search engines or the art behind the site.It also is not only just about
1 dieminating information, because it is also about building relationships and making money.Mostly, organizations try to adopt techniques of online shopping without understanding these techniques and/or without a sound busine model.Rather than supporting the organization\'s culture and brand name, the website should satisfy consumer\'s expectations.A majority of consumers choose online shopping for a faster and more efficient shopping experience.Many researchers notify that the uniquene of the web has diolved and the need for the design, which will be user centered, is very important.Companies should always remember that there are certain things, such as understanding the customer\'s wants and needs, living up to promises, never go out of style, because they give reason to come back.And the reason will stay if consumers always get what they expect.McDonaldization theory can be used in terms of online shopping, because online shopping is becoming more and more popular and a website that wants to gain more shoppers will use four major principles of McDonaldization: efficiency, calculability, predictability and control.Organizations, which want people to shop more online with them, should consume extensive amounts of time and money to define, design, develop, test, implement, and maintain the website.Also if a company wants their website to be popular among online shoppers it should leave the user with a positive impreion about the organization, so consumers can get an impreion that the company cares about them.The organization that wants to be accepted in online shopping needs to remember, that it is easier to lose a customer then to gain one.Lots of researchers state that even when a site was \"top-rated\", it would go nowhere if the organization failed to live up to common etiquette, such as returning e-mails in a timely fashion, notifying customers of problems, being honest, and being good stewards of the customers\' data.Organizations that want to keep their customers or gain new ones should try to get rid of all mistakes and be more appealing to be more desirable for online shoppers.And this is why many designers of webshops consider research outcomes concerning consumer expectations.Research conducted by Elliot and Fowell (2000) revealed satisfactory and unsatisfactory customer experiences.
Advantages of online shopping
1.Convenience Online stores are usually available 24 hours a day, and many consumers have Internet acce both at work and at home.Other establishments such as internet cafes and schools provide acce as well.A visit to a conventional retail store requires travel and must take place during busine hours.In the event of a problem with the item – it is not what the consumer ordered, or it is not what they expected – consumers are concerned with the ease with which they can return an item for the correct one or for a refund.Consumers may need to contact the retailer, visit the post office and pay return shipping, and then wait for a replacement or refund.Some online companies have more generous return policies to compensate for the traditional advantage of
2 physical stores.For example, the online shoe retailer Zappos.com includes labels for free return shipping, and does not charge a restocking fee, even for returns which are not the result of merchant error.(Note: In the United Kingdom, online shops are prohibited from charging a restocking fee if the consumer cancels their order in accordance with the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Act 2000.
2.Information and reviews Online stores must describe products for sale with text, photos, and multimedia files, whereas in a physical retail store, the actual product and the manufacturer\'s packaging will be available for direct inspection (which might involve a test drive, fitting, or other experimentation).Some online stores provide or link to supplemental product information, such as instructions, safety procedures, demonstrations, or manufacturer specifications.Some provide background information, advice, or how-to guides designed to help consumers decide which product to buy.Some stores even allow customers to comment or rate their items.There are also dedicated review sites that host user reviews for different products.In a conventional retail store, clerks are generally available to answer questions.Some online stores have real-time chat features, but most rely on e-mail or phone calls to handle customer questions.3.Price and selection One advantage of shopping online is being able to quickly seek out deals for items or services with many different vendors (though some local search engines do exist to help consumers locate products for sale in nearby stores).Search engines, online price comparison services and discovery shopping engines can be used to look up sellers of a particular product or service.Shipping costs (if applicable) reduce the price advantage of online merchandise, though depending on the jurisdiction, a lack of sales tax may compensate for this.Shipping a small number of items, especially from another country, is much more expensive than making the larger shipments bricks-and-mortar retailers order.Some retailers (especially those selling small, high-value items like electronics) offer free shipping on sufficiently large orders.Another major advantage for retailers is the ability to rapidly switch suppliers and vendors without disrupting users\' shopping experience..Disadvantages of online shopping
1.Fraud and security concerns Given the lack of ability to inspect merchandise before purchase, consumers are at higher risk of fraud on the part of the merchant than in a physical store.Merchants also risk fraudulent
3 purchases using stolen credit cards or fraudulent repudiation of the online purchase.With a warehouse instead of a retail storefront, merchants face le risk from physical theft.Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption has generally solved the problem of credit card numbers being intercepted in transit between the consumer and the merchant.Identity theft is still a concern for consumers when hackers break into a merchant\'s web site and steal names, addrees and credit card numbers.A number of high-profile break-ins in the 2000s has prompted some U.S.states to require disclosure to consumers when this happens.Computer security has thus become a major concern for merchants and e-commerce service providers, who deploy countermeasures such as firewalls and anti-virus software to protect their networks.Phishing is another danger, where consumers are fooled into thinking they are dealing with a reputable retailer, when they have actually been manipulated into feeding private information to a system operated by a malicious party.Denial of service attacks are a minor risk for merchants, as are server and network outages.Quality seals can be placed on the Shop web page if it has undergone an independent aement and meets all requirements of the company iuing the seal.The purpose of these seals is to increase the confidence of the online shoppers; the existence of many different seals, or seals unfamiliar to consumers, may foil this effort to a certain extent.A number of resources offer advice on how consumers can protect themselves when using online retailer services.These include: Sticking with known stores, or attempting to find independent consumer reviews of their experiences; also ensuring that there is comprehensive contact information on the website before using the service, and noting if the retailer has enrolled in industry oversight programs such as trust mark or trust seal.
Before buying from a new company, evaluate the website by considering iues such as: the profeionalism and user-friendline of the site; whether or not the company lists a telephone number and/or street addre along with e-contact information; whether a fair and reasonable refund and return policy is clearly stated; and whether there are hidden price inflators, such as exceive shipping and handling charges.
Ensuring that the retailer has an acceptable privacy policy posted.For example note if the retailer does not explicitly state that it will not share private information with others without consent.
Ensuring that the vendor addre is protected with SSL (see above) when entering credit card information.If it does the addre on the credit card information entry screen will start with \"HTTPS\".
Using strong pawords, without personal information.Another option is a \"pa phrase,\" which might be something along the lines: \"I shop 4 good a buy!!\" These are difficult to hack, and provides a variety of upper, lower, and special characters and could be site specific and easy to remember.
4 Although the benefits of online shopping are considerable, when the proce goes poorly it can create a thorny situation.A few problems that shoppers potentially face include identity theft, faulty products, and the accumulation of spyware.Whenever you purchase a product, you are going to be required to put in your credit card information and billing/shipping addre.If the website is not secure a customers information can be acceible to anyone who knows how to obtain it.Most large online corporations are inventing new ways to make fraud more difficult, however, the criminals are constantly responding to these developments with new ways to manipulate the system.Even though these efforts are making it easier to protect yourself online, it is a constant fight to maintain the lead.It is advisable to be aware of the most current technology and scams out there to fully protect yourself and your finances.One of the hardest areas to deal with in online shopping is the delivery of the products.Most companies offer shipping insurance in case the product is lost or damaged; however, if the buyer opts not to purchase insurance on their products, they are generally out of luck.Some shipping companies will offer refunds or compensation for the damage, but it is up to their discretion if this will happen.It is important to realize that once the product leaves the hands of the seller, they have no responsibility (provided the product is what the buyer ordered and is in the specified condition).2.Lack of full cost disclosure The lack of full disclosure with regards to the total cost of purchase is one of the concerns of online shopping.While it may be easy to compare the base price of an item online, it may not be easy to see the total cost up front as additional fees such as shipping are often not be visible until the final step in the checkout proce.The problem is especially evident with cro-border purchases, where the cost indicated at the final checkout screen may not include additional fees that must be paid upon delivery such as duties and brokerage.Some services such as the Canadian based Wishabi attempts to include estimates of these additional cost, but neverthele, the lack of general full cost disclosure remains a concern.3.Privacy Privacy of personal information is a significant iue for some consumers.Different legal jurisdictions have different laws concerning consumer privacy, and different levels of enforcement.Many consumers wish to avoid spam and telemarketing which could result from supplying contact information to an online merchant.In response, many merchants promise not to use consumer information for these purposes, or provide a mechanism to opt-out of such contacts.Many websites keep track of consumers shopping habits in order to suggest items and other websites to view.Brick-and-mortar stores also collect consumer information.Some ask for addre and phone number at checkout, though consumers may refuse to provide it.Many larger stores use the addre information encoded on consumers\' credit cards (often without their knowledge) to add them to a catalog mailing list.This information is obviously not acceible to the merchant when paying in cash.
5 Examples: With only two weeks to go before Christmas, buying presents is a high priority for a lot of people.However, this year not so many people are leaving their homes to browse around the shops.These days lots of people can do their shopping in the comfort of their own home with the help of the internet. Online shopping is becoming more and more popular for a number of reasons; prices are often lower online, you don’t have to queue up in busy shops and you can buy almost any product imaginable with just a few clicks of your mouse.One victim of the online shopping boom is the UK high street.Christmas trading can represent up to 60% of turnover for some stores.Many companies are concerned that not enough shoppers are coming through their doors in the run-up to Christmas.As a result there are lots of special offers in the shops.Most shops traditionally have sales after Christmas but this year the bargains have come early in an attempt to lure consumers to spend.Bad news for the high street has become good news for the bank balances of UK shoppers this Christmas! Even the most enthusiastic shopper has a bad day sometimes: You can find what you want, every second person in the crowd seems intent on bumping into you, and your legs are aching from hip to toe.It\'s at times like these when the much-touted convenience of shopping over the Internet sounds like a better alternative.
Like bargain hunters in the real world, however, on-line shoppers need to be aware of the pitfalls in order to enjoy the benefits of e-commerce.For most, the main concern is the invisibility of whoever is on the other end of the transaction.Those walking into the cyber market armed only with a credit card and an active imagination need to follow a few guidelines.
The golden rule in purchasing anything over the Internet is to find out who you are dealing with.The first step is to make sure the company is legal and has clearly stated sales and security policies, which should be easy to acce on its Web site.
Buyers should also pay close attention to the terms and conditions of sale, such as whether there are any hidden extras in the form of delivery costs.Of course, it is eential that the firm can guarantee the security of personal information and credit card numbers.Otherwise, you may end up being charged more than you bargained for.
Not all on-line shopping is done in virtual stores.Internet auctions function in much the same way as regular auctions, though with a longer time limit.Information about items for sale is posted on an auction site and anyone can make a bid within the stipulated time.The succeful bidder is informed by e-mail.Then, payment and delivery, which are carried out by prearranged methods, follow.
There are two kinds of auction sites: busine-to-person and person-to-person.In the former, it is the Web site that has poeion of the goods on sale and accepts payment for them, whereas a person-to-person auction site merely provides a means by which sellers can sell their goods directly to customers.
As with other forms of Internet shopping, credit cards are usually the safest and most convenient way to pay, but in a person-to-person deal, the seller may be unwilling to accept them, insisting instead on cashier’s check or money order before sending the merchandise.In the case, some sites recommend an escrow services that will handle the transaction independently for a fee of around 5 percent of the cost of the item.Practically anything can be bought on-line and, provided the appropriate caution is exercised, Internet shopping can be a rewarding alternative to trudging through the stores.So sit back, log on, and save the workout for the gym.What people are worried about Computer trends are often male-dominated but this year women are expected to do more shopping on the internet than men.It seems women are now more attracted to the convenience of online shopping than they used to be.Average spending online this Christmas by women will rise to 3360 Yuan compared to the slightly lower average of £233 for men, while the average spend per person on the high street is only £197.70% of internet users, male and female, are now buying their Christmas gifts online.In the past a lot of people were reluctant to shop online.Many were worried about the security of entering their card details on the internet and the reliability of the internet but as shopping online has become more widespread, these worries have begun to disappear.45% of internet users still do have security worries but it hasn’t slowed down the ever-increasing numbers of online shoppers. 7
