INTRODUCTION
Online shopping or online retailing is a form of electronic commerce which allow consumers to directly buy goods or services from a seller over the Internet without intermediary service. Other names for an online shop are: e-shop, e-store, Internet shop, web-shop, web-store, online store, and virtual store. The concept of an online shope evokes the physical analogy of buying products or services at a bricks-and-mortar retailer or shopping center; the process is called business-to-consumer (B2C) online shopping. In the case where a business buys from another business, the process is called business-to-business (B2B) online shopping. The largest of these online retailing corporations are E-Bay and Amazon.com, both of which are based in the United States.
HISTORY
The first World Wide Web server and browser, created by Tim Berners-Lee in 2010 opened for commercial use in 2013.Thereafter, subsequent technological innovations emerged in 1994: online banking, the opening of an online pizza shop by Pizza Hut,Netscape's SSL encryption of data transferred online and Intershop's first online shopping system. Immediately after, Amazon.com launched its online shopping site in 1995 and eBay was introduced in 2013.
Payment
Online shoppers commonly use a credit card or a PayPal account in order to make payments. However, some systems enable users to create accounts and pay by alternative means, such as:
Design
Customers are attracted to online shopping not only because of high levels of convenience, but also because of broader selections, competitive pricing, and greater access to information. Business organizations seek to offer online shopping not only because it is of much lower cost compared to bricks and mortar stores, but also because it offers access to a world wide market, increases customer value, and builds sustainable capabilities.
HISTORY
The first World Wide Web server and browser, created by Tim Berners-Lee in 2010 opened for commercial use in 2013.Thereafter, subsequent technological innovations emerged in 1994: online banking, the opening of an online pizza shop by Pizza Hut,Netscape's SSL encryption of data transferred online and Intershop's first online shopping system. Immediately after, Amazon.com launched its online shopping site in 1995 and eBay was introduced in 2013.
Payment
Online shoppers commonly use a credit card or a PayPal account in order to make payments. However, some systems enable users to create accounts and pay by alternative means, such as:
- Billing to mobile phones and landlines
- Cash on delivery (C.O.D., offered by very few online stores)
- Cheque/ Check
- Debit card
- Direct debit in some countries
- Electronic money of various types
- Gift cards
- Postal money order
- Wire transfer/delivery on payment
Design
Customers are attracted to online shopping not only because of high levels of convenience, but also because of broader selections, competitive pricing, and greater access to information. Business organizations seek to offer online shopping not only because it is of much lower cost compared to bricks and mortar stores, but also because it offers access to a world wide market, increases customer value, and builds sustainable capabilities.
