Online Shopping Internet

Online obtain earningsHave you ever tried buying your fit or appliances thru lucre? Online snoop is the act upon of purchase and selling intersections or services oer the internet. (Akary, 2005). It has gain popularity because of its convenience. There ar some factors that be of import in online shop such as the guarantor and the screen of the consumers. Online obtain has replaced the traditional process of consumers buying goods from a retailer or mall that they must physically go into. (Akary, 2005). Online obtain is matchless aspect of electronic commerce. Online obtain is important because it introduces buyers convenience that has never before been achievable. (Sneddon, 2004). The engineering that is now available allows guests to shop on the internet 24 hours a day and s level(p) days a week, without having to leave their homes or offices. Shoppers be profferd with an abundance of merchant sites where al nigh every goods on earth roll in the hay be bought. Consumers foot as well as comp be prices from a variety of assorted retailers with greater ease, comp bed to them physically going to shop in a create shop centre to check prices.Online obtain popularity started in 1990, unaccompanied a couple of(prenominal) substance abusers are using the constitution. At the same era, the popularity of the Internet also grew at a phenomenal rate. Rifkin (2004, p. 34). History of online obtain and how it became famous get out be wrangleed in the first part of this paper. The disadvantages and advantages of online obtain go a repair smart be presented.The bearing of this paper is to be able to present to the readers the pros and cons of on-line shopping. Another bearing of the study is to evaluate the e- business organisation that has been gaining the popularity. Most articles that I encounter about e-business presents one conclusion, that a company would not make it in the international foodstuff if they were not able to penetrate the online shopping. The paper depart also discuss the complexity of the design. This bequeath include the effectiveness and safety of the said design.The see to it aims to present a secured and protected online shopping. The main concern of the user of online shopping is their anonymity. Some website promised that they are macrocosm protected scarce actually they are not. This project will present the prototype design using the Multi-agent dodge (MAS). The MAS will make online shopping much much tardily. Traditional shopping involves saleslady or agent that will assist you during your tour in the mall. The MAS will act as your guide in choosing the item you need. This will make online shopping much more convenient than traditional shopping.In the literature review, the study make by Sinmao (1999) in the use of smart agent is discussed. The analyses do by Giles Malliford (2007) on the problems encountered by online shoppers are enumerated. He presented the reasons why s hoppers abanthroughd their shopping carts. The shop.org (2007) shows the statistics of online users. The primary concern of the user is their tribute department that is why utexas.edu presented the checklist to consider for making your online buys as safe as realizable (www.utexas.edu). Also in the literature review the psychological effect of online shopping are discussed. (Smith, Swinyard, 2001).The benefits of online shopping are enumerated to help the user understand why such program is do. Disadvantages and advantages of using the internet in shopping will be discussed. At the end of this paper the reader will be able to decide whether they will choose to shop the traditional way or the online shoppingHistory of Online ShoppingOnline shopping belongs to the so called e-commerce. It started in 1970 wherein invoices and orders are sent thru the internet. And then in 1980 the acceptance of deferred payment tease and automated teller machine where accepted online. When dot com era arrived electronic commerce include activities termed as web commerce purchases of goods and services over the world wide web, in a secure connections with e-shopping carts and payment where done thru the use of source greenback.Online shopping began in the early to mid 1990s. outset online bank was opened in 1994 and Pizza Hut was the first to offer pizza online on their nett page. Further development of online shopping was done and later that yr Netscape introduced SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) that make most minutes secure. In 1995 Jeff Bezos launched Amazon.com and in 1996, e-Bay was founded. By the end of 1997, an estimated 41 million people were shopping online. (Kary, 2005). 1999 saw the UKs first graphical Internet shopping mall called The Virtual Mall. In 2003, Amazon.com became the first ever full-year profit online shopping merchant. (http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_Shop). From here the online shopping has set about popular. Now dresses, foods, medicines and others can be purchased online.Safety of the customer is important even in the early long time of online shopping. Netscape SSL purpose is to secure the identity of their customer to prevent cyber crime which is common in transactions involving ones identity in the internet. It has been the medium of transaction of businesses. The future is now pointing its direction to new technologies.Literature ReviewSeveral studies are involved in online shopping. The use of an sharp agent is important in e-commerce specially in online shopping. (Sinmao, 1999). Intelligent agents are a major evolution toward solving this difficult problem. Intelligent agents establish both buyers and sellers to accomplish e-commerce transactions by enabling efficient, precise, and comprehensive searches on the vast web community and in kneadation repository. . (Sinmao, 1999). Intelligent agents are packet applications that abide a predefined knowledge base and/or learning system about their users goals and wishes and, through adaptive reasoning, use this information to execute their users request. The continuum of smart agents may be characterized along three dimensions agency, intelligence, and mobility. In Appendix 1 the three dimensions of intelligent agents are presented to show how intelligent agents work on online shopping.Statistics (Table 1) shows the problems encountered during the first year of online shopping. Since online shopping during the first years is not up to now fully developed problems are piling up. These problems were being resolved as the year goes by. Studies and topes were done to enhance and improve the e-commerce. Table below shows problems encountered by Canada during the earlier years of online shopping.Table 1StatSourceDate or so 21 shareage of Canadians sited comparison-shopping as the main reason for online cart abandonment, eon 17 percent circulateed that high fare be were a cause for aborting their purchases.NFO CFGroup10/08/200240 per cent of Internet users in Canada report that they abandoned at least one shopping cart on a Canadian retail website during a three month current in early 2002. The findings also found that for every purchase Canadians make online, another was not completed.NFO CFGroup10/08/2002Although Canadians dog-tired CAD2 billion (USD1.2 billion) at retail websites during the first half of 2002, many online shoppers abandoned their carts due to poorly knowing sites, fare costs, and privacy concerns.NFO CFGroup10/08/20022.2 million Canadian households spent unaired to CAD2 billion (USD1.27 billion) on online shopping in 2001. In 2000, 1.5 million households spent CAD1.5 billion shopping on the Internet. Canadian households placed a sum total of 13.4 million orders over the Internet in 2001, up from 9.1 million in 2000.Statistics Canada09/18/2002Source http//www.shop.org/learn/stats_intshop_canada.aspIn the study done by shop.org, 2007 online sales (including travel) rises 18 percent to $25 9.1 billion. Sales excluding travel will reach $174.5 billion. This strong growth will set off of an impressive exertion in 2006. Online sales last year rose 25 percent to $219.9 billion. Excluding travel, online retail sales rose 29 percent to $146.5 billion, representing six percent of total retail sales in 2006. ( Grannis, Davis, 2007). According to Mulpuru, Sucharita, (2007) senior analyst of Forrester Research, online retail is moving full speed ahead, the consumers flood the web to purchase merchandise and investigate crossroads. This strong growth is an indicator that online retail is years away from reaching a point of saturation. The positiveness through the orbit has stabilized, this is a good indication that e-commerce is gaining success. The study done by shop.org and Forrester shows the chase profitability resoluteness Eighty-three percent of respondents to the survey reported profitability and 78 percent said they were more profitable than 2005. Profit as a pe rcentage of revenue did not change, the report notes, because revenue and expenses grew as well.In the article The Top 10 Reasons Why Online Buyers Abandon Their Shopping Cart by Miles Galliford (2007), he mentioned the reasons why shopping carts are being abandon by shoppers. Research undertaken by MarketingSherpa (www.marketingsherpa.com) and E-Tailing in 2006 discovered that clean abandonment rates were 60% and 47% respectively. This means that the average mercantile website is losing as much as half ofits potential revenue. (Galliford, 2007). Based on the article the reasons why they abandon their cart during online shoppingHidden charges at the checkoutHaving to register before buyingThe buyer was comparison shopping and found a better dealThe transit costs were alike highThe buyer didnt baffle time to complete the checkout processThe product was out of stockThere were no clear talking to detailsNo phone consequence was providedThe checkout process was in any case longT he buyer was uncomfortable with the checkout processFrom the above reasons it seems that online shopping is not yet perfected. That is why study and researches are being done to satisfy the customer. Among other studies done on online shopping includes one that provides some(prenominal) tips on how to make sure that the web site you are purchasing your items are secured. One of the main concerns of the shopper is their security. That is why most of the website offering online shopping tell aparts that security is their main concern. However there are some websites that does not really allow a security program. As a result of this the data of the customer is easily accessible by others. This is where cyber crime takes place. In order to envision that you are on a safe website below is the checklist to consider for making your online purchases as safe as attainable (www.utexas.edu). but shop at online stores of reputable companies (companies you already know from retail stores, transport order catalogs or other sources). Know how to contact them offline if there is a problem with your purchase. If you are unsure of the company, do a lilliputian research with the Better Business Bureau. Secure your sack up browser. Check the security settings of your Web browser to growth the security of your transactions. Check for security icons before gift your personal information. Before you type in your credit card number or name and address, check for security icons on the Web site. This includes tone for https in the Web address or URL. Https indicates the Web site is provide with an additional security layer. If its not there, the site or page is not secure. Create unique passwords. Dont use the same password for all of your online accounts and applications. If you do this, you risk having all of your accounts compromised if only one account is breached. Remember to never use your university passwords for other online accounts. Dont enable the Save Password o ption if prompted to do so. If you are using a shared calculating machine, pre-saved passwords will make it mild for others to access your accounts. Use only one dedicated credit card for online purchases. Monitor your monthly statements closely for any unusual activity. Dont use a debit card for online purchases. You are more protected using a credit card instead of a debit card. Credit card companies offer some degree of fraud protection and may be able to reverse charges to your account. Check the Web sites privacy policy. Only shop with online stores offering privacy policies that you agree with. They should provide information about how they will protect your personal information and whether it will be provided to other companies. endlessly log out of a Web site when you are through. Again, this will protect your accounts on a shared computer. Review your monthly credit card and bank statements. Check for any unauthorized purchases or errors. instruct your bank or credit ca rd company immediately if you suspect someone is using your accounts without your permission. Because of these threats on online shopping, the enhancements of websites are being done to ensure that every single person and data is protected.In the study done by IBM and BYU (Professor William R. Swinyard and Professor Scott M. Smith) online shopping reveals attitude and lifestyle of the user. (2001). The attitudinal study of 4000 Web users reveals the shopping behaviour of eight online consumer types and which types would respond to marketing efforts designed to increase e-commerce sales. The study also suggests what form those efforts should take.Heres how each group looks and how Swinyard and Smith view they should be approached With 11.1 percent of the market share, Shopping Lovers get laid buying online and do so frequently. They are competent computer users and will likely widen their shopping habits. They also spread the word to others about joys of online shopping whenever they have the opportunity. They represent an ideal sign for retailers. Adventurous Explorers (8.9 percent) are a undersize ingredient that presents a large opportunity. They require little special anxiety by Internet vendors because they believe online shopping is fun. They are likely the look leaders for all things online. Retailers should nurture and cultivate them to be online community builders and shopping advocates. Suspicious Learners (9.6 percent) comprise another small segment with growth potential. Their hesitance to purchase online more frequently hinges on their leave out of computer training, but they are open to new ways of doing things. In contrast to more fearful segments, they dont have a problem giving a computer their credit card number. Further guidance and training would help tittle-tattle them into online buying. Among the most computer literate, Business Users (12.4 percent) use the Internet primarily for business purposes. They take a serious interes t in what it can do for their professional life. They dont view online shopping as novel and arent usually champions of the practice. horrible Browsers (10.7 percent) are on the cusp of buying online. They are capable Internet and computer users, dribbleing a good deal of time windowpane shopping. They could become a significant buying group if their fears about credit card security, shipping charges and buying products sight unseen were kill. Shopping Avoiders (15.6 percent) have an appealing income level, but their values make them a poor target for online retailers. They dont like to wait for products to be shipped to them, and they like seeing merchandise in person before buying. They have online shopping issues that retailers will not easily be able to overcome. Technology Muddlers (19.6 percent) face large computer literacy hurdles. They spend less time than any other segment online and show little excitement about increasing their online comfort level. They are not an spe llbinding market for online retailers. Fun Seekers (12.1 percent) are the least wealthy and least educated market segment. They see entertainment value in the Internet, but buying things online frightens them. Although security and privacy issues might be overcome, the spending power of the segment suggests that only a marginal long-term payback would be possibleIn the study done by KCB336 New Media Technologies students, they have come up on reasons why many people are button up hesitant in using online shopping. Their study resulted in 69% of internet shoppers felt that online retailers should do more to make them feel secure, yet only 15% reported to know others who had attendd credit card revile advocated her trust for online shopping when she claimed. Because of the concern of the customer in the security measures, retailers hold a number of security measures, including cryptogrpahy and authentication to help the online transactions safe. cryptanalysis can provide authent ication and integrity for electronic transmissions if properly implemented. enfranchisement is defined as goal of knowing that a particular user is authorized to take an action. Personal identification numbers (PIN) and passwords are the most widespread types of authentication.Based also on the study done by the New Media Technology (2004), another key issue aside from the security is the privacy. To further ease customer apprehension, many online retailers provide privacy statements which state their stance on sharing customer information with other businesses. umteen companies stated that they did not share customer details. In addition to this, online retailers also employ cryptography to ensure that computer hackers cannot easily obtain any stored personal information that companies keep regarding their customers. Some companies only installed privacy and security measures after problems had occurred. Their lack of preventative methods was attributed towards the difficulty of implementing security measures, the high costs associated with these measures, and the continual need to update programs as new technologies and threats emerged.Internet-based transactions birth to make up 25 percent of all retail transactions in the next decade according to the study done by the New Media Technology (2004), therefore it is imperative for online retailers to continue to provide a secure, private and trustworthy shopping environment for their customers. Those who can best provide this climate for online shoppers will be the retailers who root for the most customers, and ultimately enjoy the most profits.According to Changchit, Douthit, and Hoffmeyer (2005), the success of online businesses relies heavily upon their ability to attract and retain customers. The better an online business understands the needs of these shoppers, the higher the chance that they can attract and retain customers. Their study includes factors that are important for the consumers. A study compared the experiences that customers have at a brick-and-mortar store versus online shopping. A main difference in the two experiences is that traditional storefronts are able to provide customers with the immediate sensory experience of touching and feeling proffered products whereas online storefronts are more limited in offering physical experiences with their products. Internet customers may have the visual experience of seeing what they are interested in purchasing. They are limited in their ability to touch or feel the merchandise until after delivery. The lack of the physical experiences touching and feeling available in traditional brick-and-mortar storefronts may be a reason why an online business has not go to the level that some thought possible in the early 1990s. To overcome this obstacle, online businesses need to focus on satisfiers outside physical experiences with products. They need to dispose customers that touching and feeling the merchandise are less impor tant than what they can offer via an online shopping. This study intends to explore which factors are perceived as important to online customers when shopping on the Internet. (Changchit, Douthit, and Hoffmeyer 2005).Presented in table 3 below are the demographics of online user. The most common user of online shopping belongs to the Caucasian (4.9%) group with ages ranging form 22-25 years old (31.7%). Table 4 shows the factors that are important on online shoppers.TABLE 2 SUBJECTS DEMOGRAPHICSAge (in years)Under 18 18-2122-2526-3031-35Over 350 %16 (15.8%)32 (31.7%)16 (15.8%)13 (12.9%)21 (20.8%)NationalityEthnicity AfricanAsian AmericanCaucasianHispanicOther8 (8.2%)7 (7.1%)46 (46.9%)32 (32.7%)5 (5.1%)Annual Income (US$)10K-30K30K-50K50K-70K70K-90K90K22 (22.5%)17 (17.4%)26 (26.5%)12 (12.2%)6 (6.1%)15 (15.3%)Highest EducationHigh School1-3 year collegeAssociateBachelorMasterDoctorate7 (7.1%)18 (18.4%)10 (10.2%)38 (38.8%)20 (20.4%)5 (5.1%)Own a Computer settingLaptop82 (83.7%)59(60.2 %)Employment StatusUnemployedFull periodPart Time12(12.2%)58(59.2%)28(25.6%)Marital StatusSingleMarried leaveDivorce60(61.2%)38(38.8%)0(0%)0(0%)Source Changchit, Shawn J. Douthit, Benjamin Hoffmeyer (2005) http//findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0OGT/is_3_5/ai_n16619676/pg_6TABLE 3 FACTORS advance SHOPPERS TO VISIT A WEBSITEI will visit the website more often if . Average1. a portray of the product is displayed 5.852. the website offers free shipping 5.763. it is voiced to return the products 5.514. the website accuracy of the order is high 5.425. the website has a brand composition 5.41TABLE 4 FACTORS ENCOURAGING SHOPPERS TO obtain FROM A WEBSITEI am more likely to purchase products/ Averageservices from the website if .1. the website offers free shipping 5.862. the website offers a discount 5.793. it is easy to return the products 5.744. a picture of the product is displayed 5.705. the website offers tax free shopping 5.51TABLE 5 FACTORS ENCOURAGING SHOPPERS TO PURCHASE MORE I TEMSI will purchase more items if . Average1. the website offers a discount 5.712. the website offers free shopping 5.673. it is easy to return the products 5.644. a picture of the product is displayed 5.595. I received tax free shopping. 5.57TABLE 6 FACTORS ENCOURAGING SHOPPERS TO PURCHASE AT A HIGHER PRICEI am willing to pay more if . Average1. the website offers free shipping 5.202. if the item is not available offline 5.143. if I can t the product out before-paying 5.104. if offered tax free shopping 5.055. if the website offers next day shipping 4.94TABLE 7 FACTORS ENCOURAGING SHOPPERS TO PROVIDE FEEDBACKSI would provide feedback on my shopping Averageexperience for 1. free shipping 5.612. discount 5.413. gift card 5.324. product sample 5.175. discount coupon 5.09Disadvantages and Advantages of Online shoppingOnline shopping has its own set of disadvantages and advantages. Not all online shoppers agree to shop online, they would quite a shop at the mall than sit in their livin g style and search for the item they want. As presented on the first report the spare-time activity are the disadvantages and advantages of online shoppingTable 3 Advantages and DisadvantagesOn line shopping Traditional Shopping TimeUnlimited you can purchase online anytime you want. No closing and opening hours You can shop at limited time only.AvailabilityOne will be able to know right away if the item is