E-Commerce



E-Commerce

Another service that has captured the internet is commercial services. You are able to shop, check your bank account or auction things off. Many see this as a benefit since you don’t need to leave your house to do this. However, there are also disadvantages such as credit card fraud or theft of identity and more that will be covered later. In this section we will be looking at the three types of e-commerce: shopping, banking and auctioning.

Shopping

Description

Everyone has something they want or need and to get it you would go down to the shops, this would involve planning a day out and going to different shops just to browse, this consumes time and energy. Sometimes you may find that the thing you are looking for is out of stock or generally you don't find what you are looking for, so your whole outing would have been a waste. Online Shopping has taken out the unnecessary need to go out and waste time and energy by shopping from the comfort of your own home.

Now online shopping has taken up []% of the internet and is one of the top 5 reasons people use the internet. By shopping online you can see what is in stock or order things before they have been released. You can shop for pretty much anything on the net and all big retailers are selling on a website whether it is their own or another's. Here we will look at three online shopping sites, TESCOs, Amazon and Quicksilver.

TESCOs

Amazon

Quicksilver

Target Audience

Online shopping is generally for everyone; however it must be noted for every shop it is not the same. You wouldn't see men searching for women's clothes, so you would find every site having their own target audience. For example, you would find a website selling women's clothes aimed at women, an educational bookstore aiming their products at schools, teachers and students.

However it must be seen that people who would use online shopping are those who have access to the internet, or those who are too busy to go down to their supermarket to shop for food. Also you would find that more educated people would use online shopping since they would have knowledge with using a computer. Age wise you would not really find kids or teens using it, since they do not own a credit card or those under 12 would use the computer for those reasons. As for the elderly it can be a mixed view, the majority would not use this because they would not use a computer for fear of it or lack of knowledge in using it. On the other hand you may find that many elderly people use it since it is easier for them, as they would not need to exert themselves by going out to shop.

Advantages and Disadvantages:

With online shopping you find many advantages, such as you do not need to leave your home to go and find the product you are looking for, since you can go look at many shops at one time through the internet. Another advantage is that you can search for a product and find out whether it is in stock or not without having to waste energy and time going to the shop and finding that it is out of stock. If you live a busy lifestyle, this can help greatly since you don’t have to use up valuable time to go out and buy your needed products. After ordering the product, you decide you don't want it you can delete the order without any cost, unlike where you have to take it back to the shop, that wastes time, and you have to abide by their policies that it has not been worn. With software, you can test it before purchasing it, which gives you a good idea of what you are going to buy. Another advantage is that you can access and shop anytime of the day or week, since the internet is constantly active and you also don't have to wait in lines to pay.

As well as advantages, there are disadvantages with online shopping. Firstly by ordering from home and never going out, there is the risk of laziness and a possible risk of obesity. When ordering a product you have to wait for it to be delivered, for it to be delivered quicker you must pay more. To buy products you need a credit card, and these details are sent over the internet where they are at risk of being stolen, changed or deleted by hackers. You would also find that these services may share your personal details with third parties who would offer our services to you, this could lead to SPAM mail. With clothing, you will have to know your size, since you can not try it on, so when it is delivered it may not fit, which means you will have to return it and re-order another one. Sometimes you may find that they deliver you the wrong product, or it arrives in bad condition.

Non-Internet Alternatives:

Obviously the main way of shopping without the internet is going out and going to the actual shop and searching for the products you want. Other than that you can order products off a catalogue. This is where you have the catalogue of all the products the shop offers and you browse through the pages for your product, then you send off a mail order with your money to the shop, where in a few days it would be delivered to you.

Online Banking

Description

Practically everyone has a bank account and need to check it constantly, whether its just to generally check the balance, to pay bills or to see what the account's card has been used for. None the less you need to go to you bank for one reason or another. This would involve going out of your home and visiting your nearest branch, which could be around the corner or a 20 minute drive away. However, now this has been improved as you can check your accounts online, instead of having to travel to your bank. A benefit is that it is open always unlike the bank that having working hours and is closed on Sundays and also you do not need to wait in a queue to be served. Here we will look at three banks and what services their online banking offers.

Target Audience:

You would find only certain people using online banking. By age you would find people older than 18 using it since they would all have a bank accounts. However you may find that people over 65 would not use this service as much since they may not know how to use a computer or fear it, on the other hand elderly people may use it more since it means that they do not have to go out to check their account.

However it must be seen that people who would use online banking are those who have access to the internet, or those who are too busy to go down to their bank. Also you would find that more educated people would use online shopping since they would have knowledge with using a computer.

Advantages and Disadvantages:

With online banking you find many advantages, such as you do not need to leave your home to go to the bank to check your account, since you can go look at your account through the internet. If you live a busy lifestyle, this can help greatly since you don’t have to use up valuable time to go and check your account. Another advantage is that you can access and check your account anytime of the day or week, since the internet is constantly active and you also don't have to wait in lines to pay.

As well as advantages, there are disadvantages with online banking. Firstly by banking from home and never going out, there is the risk of laziness and a possible risk of obesity. To access your account you need to enter your credit card and other sensitive details, and these details are sent over the internet where they are at risk of being stolen, changed or deleted by hackers. You would also find that these services may share your personal details with third parties who would offer our services to you; this could lead to SPAM mail. Another problem with online banking is that you cannot withdraw money nor can you get personal advice nor can you cash a cheque.

Non-Internet Alternatives:

The main other alternative is to actually going down to the bank and doing your banking there. Another alternative is to go to ATM machines that are scattered around commercial areas where you can withdraw money or check your balance. However, it has been recently improved that you can do some of your banking through your mobile phone or PDA, this is good especially if you are constantly on the go, since you can do your banking at your leisure.

Online Auctions:

Everyone loves to get a good deal and where better to get items cheaply are at auctions. At an auction items are put up and people start bidding for it, at the end of the bidding whoever bided the most amount of money at the end takes the item. For this you would have to go to a local auction and see what is being auctioned off. This has been improved and been put up to the internet. Now people can place almost anything up on the internet and sell it off in an online auction. Currently the main site for online auctioning is ebay, however there are other sites. Here I will look at ebay and an other less known [].

Ebay

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Target Audience:

Auctioning is used by only certain people, not everyone use it and it is not seen as a certain group of people do it. However, you would find the people who do use it are over 18 since to use one of the auctioning sites you need to register with your credit card or pay pal details. You would also find that people who use it are those with time on their hands to browse around and also to keep on top of their biddings, also you would find that some people spend their whole time on this website and make a living off it. People who are more educated than others use this service since they have better knowledge of use of this service or computers as a whole.

Advantages and Disadvantages:

With Online Auctioning you find all the benefits of a normal auction where you could find a bargain that you could not get when you go to retail stores. But being online you have more benefits such as you do not need to go down to a hall where the auction and wait till your item is brought up for auction. With the online auction you can bid for more than one item at a time and not need to leave your home. Before bidding you can ask the seller for details of the item that is being auctioned off so you get an idea of what you are buying, as well as this there is of course a picture and description of the item. Another benefit is that if you no longer wish to bid for an item you can withdraw your bid.

However as with all things there are disadvantages, to auction you need to register with your credit card and other personal details that can be stolen, changed or deleted by hackers when being sent. When you win an auction you can never be sure if the seller will actually send the item or whether the item is in the condition mentioned in the description. Also the seller may send a different item than that is shown on the website. Another disadvantage is that sometimes you may buy an item for more than the retail price and therefore lose money or if you are selling a product you may lose money when the bidding does not raise as much money as you want.

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