Online Shopping

What is online shopping?

Online shopping or e-shopping is a form of electronic commerce which allows consumers to directly buy goods or services from a seller over the Internet using a web browser. Alternative names are: e-web-store, e-shop, e-store, Internet shop, web-shop, web-store, online store, online storefront and virtual store. Mobile commerce (or m-commerce) describes purchasing from an online retailer's mobile optimized online site or app.

What are the pros and cons of online shopping?

Pros for Customers:

• Convenient – You can buy clothes or anything you want with just one click, while you lay on the sofa.
•  No need to fall in line. Just enter your credit card info and transaction is completed in an instant.

Pros for Business:

• Reduced long-term costs – businesses do not need to pay for expensive shop premises, running costs (bills, insurance) and sales staff. They may need to employ people to set up and look after the website, but this will normally be cheaper.
• Wider customer base - Products can be sold to customers all over the country/world and not just in the area where the shop is based.

Cons for Customers:

• Risky –Make sure the website or online store you plan to shop at is legitimate. Check for reviews and testimonials, if available.
• No Guarantees – There are chances of your mail not getting delivered on time, or not at all, due to a number of reasons (e.g. wrong address, problem with shipping, etc.). This is the reason why some online shops offer insurance to their clients.

Cons for Business:

• Cost – businesses will normally need to pay out a lot of money to have their websites professionally designed and developed.
• Staff with expertise – the staff required to run the online business will need to have the expertise to manage the website and keep it maintained.

What is the process of online shopping?

1. Deciding which online shop to use
2. Browsing product categories
3. Using the virtual shopping basket
4. Going to the checkout
5. Waiting to receive the goods

What are the security issues of online shopping?

• Hackers can defraud both the shop and the customer
• To protect personal data and payment details they are encrypted when transferred over the internet.
• That data can only be decoded if the receiving network server has the correct encryption key.
• Nowadays the most common methods fraudsters use to obtain customer data is phishing, pharming and attaching spyware.
• That is why customers are advised to read the terms and services to learn the ways of protecting their personal information.