E-Commerce

What is E-Commerce? 

E-Commerce is the performing of transactions online, such as shopping on the internet to buy Food and clothing. There are many different retail shops and more commonly now food supermarkets that offer an online service, they deliver the item you buy online to your door. 

Brick and Click: 

Many shops that started on the high street have now migrated to the online market, such as Sainsbury’s who have been opened on the high street since 1869 and began their online service in 1996. This helped them to reach more people and to earn more profit. As they now offer a mobile supermarket which allows people to order their food online and for it to be delivered to them instead of them having to go to the store. However for some companies this may cause a problem as their high street stores become less profitable than their online stores.

Purely Online:

However for a company like Amazon they have only ever been online providing a

fast, reliable and direct service. They have warehouses across the world that store all the merchandise that they offer online, people work around the clock to find and package the items people click to buy online. Amazon have no plans to have any high street stores as their merchandise comes from lots of different sellers, they also have no need to go on the high street as their online store makes them a lot of profit. Amazon began as purely a book seller, but they grew so big that they decided to expand their range of products, offering small businesses to sell their merchandise on Amazon. Amazon deliver worldwide, their delivery system is central to their online sales.

Click and Collect:   
Most stores now offer a click and collect system, which allows the customers to order an item in the store or online and collect in the store in from 3-6 days later. This is convenient for the customer and means more money for the stores as when they do not have the product in the store but they are still able to offer the product to the customer.

E-bay:

E- bay has also made a huge online presence, allowing the online user to be the seller. E-bay is a huge auction based website where customers are able to bid on products they like, it also allows people to sell their own unwanted goods or for small businesses to sell their goods. E-bay itself is not in control of the buying and selling of products, so the feedback that customers provide only effects the seller, not eBay.

 E-bay is different to Amazon in many ways; firstly all of the delivery of the sold goods is down to the person selling the goods, not E-bay. So if the product does not come on time or is not in a good condition it is not E-bay that will be blamed for this but the seller or Courier/Post Office. E-bay also does not have fixed prices, it is all due to bidding, and people are more attracted to the idea of bidding than to a fixed price.

E-bay also use the paying system of Paypal which is a secure way of spending your money as only Paypal know the details of the seller and the buyer but they will never know each other’s. The information all goes through your bank and Paypal isolate your information.

Future for E-Commerce: 

 Many high street shops have begun to struggle without having online delivery services, such as Morrisons who began to fall behind its competitors on sales in the food supermarket business. It has recently launched its online delivery service to the public, widening its range of customers and sales. E-Commerce is becoming increasingly popular for company's as it is an easy way to be linked tpo world wide customers in a fast and efficient way 24 hours a day. 

Advantages and Disadvantages:

 

For the:	Advantages of E-commerce	Disadvantages of E-Commerce
Business	More customers, gives them a worldwide link. They do not have to pay rent for stores and do not have to employ people to run the stores.	They still need to care for people who are working for their online team and may need to expand their workforce if their online business gets bigger. The turn over may be very high but it all can be lost very quickly due to back feedback or someone’s bad experience.
Customer	It Is very quick and easy to use; you can buy nearly anything online. You do not have to travel to a store or use any money in petrol. Also the return system is very easy online.	If you are buying a piece of clothing you are not able to try it on. You could be scammed by an online seller. It requires you to have a card or PayPal account.
Employees	People would have to be higher qualified benefiting everyone.	Lots of people would lose out on their jobs, shop assistant and shop managers would not be needed.
Suppliers	Suppliers earn more money and do not need an outlet.	They need more workers to deal with the orders and to keep up with packaging and delivering.

Real Time

Real time technology is an advanced online service that can allow us to see instant updates on the news feeds such as:  the weather where we are, traffic updates, timetables for public transport and the latest sport scores. Real time also allows us to see live webcams around the world at any time; furthermore with real time we have been able to use GPS (Global positioning system) for journeys instead of using a map.Many people use real time on a daily basis, whether it be to check the local whether before leaving the house, or to track a plane arriving home. Real time is something that we no longer can seem to survive without as it is our source of information for our daily lives in an instant.

Live Webcams

Live webcams allow us to see various places in the world without being there, seeing what happening as its happening. There are various uses of live webcams; firstly many people like to see their holiday destinations before they go there so many resorts have installed Live Webcams at various places for potential customers to have a look around.  For example this link allows tourists to see the Miami beaches before they decide to go there: http://www.miamiandbeaches.com/see-miami. Live Webcams are also used for people to see the traffic on the motorways before leaving their house, so they can possibly plan a route that doesn't involve going through traffic.

 Scopes:

The scopes of live webcams are that they are a good online service for people who are deciding where they would like there holiday destination to be, it allows them to see live images of the scenery a

nd even the types of events that take place or even the weather throughout the year. For skiers in particular they can see the slopes and courses that are available at the resorts. Another good factor of a live webcam is that they are an instant way of getting information; instead of listening to the radio for the traffic updates you can get live images from the internet making it a more efficient way of retrieving the information.

 Limitations: 

The limitations of a live webcam you can’t control the camera yourself, so some things you may want to see they may not show. Also the weather conditions have to be right; as if it was foggy you would not be able to see the image making it a limited source of information.

My experience: 

My personal experience with live webcams is usually to check the traffic on the motorway for my dad when he’s either stuck in traffic somewhere and wants to see how long the traffic goes on for or if he is just on his way home. I rarely use live webcams; very rarely I have gone onto live webcams to see the Alps in France and to see what the resorts look like for possible holidays in the future.

Newsfeeds

Newsfeeds allow us to connect worldwide instantly. There are various newsfeeds that the average person will use every day, such as Facebook which you can write a status or upload a picture or video. This connects you with your family and friends without even having to contact them directly. Another Newsfeed used by many is Twitter which is commonly used for updates on your favorite celebrities and to update your followers on what you are doing. Another newsfeed that can be used as an app or online is the BBC newsfeed which updates you on all the worldwide news, it is updated nearly every minute with the events around the world.

 Limitations:

The limitations of newsfeeds would be that they are now commonly used for anything but news, people commonly use Facebook and Twitter to update the world on everything that is going on in their life, personal information is now being publicised. Also newsfeeds are distracting people from their own lives, instead of concentrating on their own lives they are looking at the updates of others.

Scopes:

The scopes of newsfeeds are that they do update you every minute on the world news, you get instant information wherever you are. Also newsfeeds are a way of keeping the world connected, you can learn about different things that are going on around the world and can have an instant knowledge of the world’s happenings.

 My experience: 

My own experience with newsfeeds is that I have Facebook, Twitter and BBC news as apps on my phone.          I use them regularly to see updates of events around the world, and to see what my family and friends are doing but I rarely ever update people on what I’m doing. I do find it rather annoying that people post the most personal information of their life on social media feeds, such as what is happening in their relationships or their family problems.

GPS (General positioning system)

GPS is a way of finding your global positioning via satellites. We use GPS for things like SAT NAVS which allow us to find our global positioning digitally online; we can use them instead of using a map. They are also updated on a regular basis and can identify where the speed cameras are unlike a map.GPS is also used for things like flightradar24 (www.flightradar24.com) where you can track all of the planes in flight around the world, this allows people to track family and friends on their flights, it could also help them decide when to pick them up from the airport.

Scopes:

The scopes of GPS are that it is a very useful thing to have, especially when you need directions to places, instead of having to use a map you are able to use a satellite controlled device that picks up your exact location. When abroad it is a very useful thing to have when travelling as it also knows the location of the main tourist attractions. It is also useful for plane traffic control etc. it lets them be able to see exactly where the planes are.

Limitations: 

The limitations are that if the satellite goes down you cannot use it, in many remote places abroad it will often not be able to identify where you are. Another limitation is that it often isn't updated quick enough, when road works are being done or a new road has been built the GPS on SAT NAVS is not updated so people find themselves going through what the SAT NAV thinks are fields.

My experience:

My own experience with GPS is that I use flightradar24 to watch my families flight paths often and it helps to decide what time we are going to go and pick them up. Its also just something interesting to watch, and to know what planes are going over my house as I am in the flight path of Gatwick Airport. I have also used GPS on our SAT NAV when travelling to places, most times it has been a successful journey, however there have been times where the GPS has not been updated and the road does not exist where there are new builds. But overall I find GPS a very useful online service. 

Communication

Communication is one of the most frequent t uses of Online Services. The most common ways of communicating are to text, ring or email. These all work through satellite and cable communications. With a simple message being transported to the other side of the world at the speed of light. Across the UK there hundreds of telephone masts which connect us to people worldwide, in space we also have satellites orbit the world. The messages and calls are an instant way of communicating       and have advanced rapidly each year with a new phone and quicker internet connection becoming a reoccurring advance in telecommunication.

Email

There are many uses for emails, for example: communication, information                                         distribution, record keeping and content enrichment. Emailing is an instant method of exchanging digital messages through the internet or through other computer networks. It helps people to stay connected no matter where they are as long as they have internet.

The scopes of using emails are they are a fast and fairly cheap way of communicating, it allows businesses to keep connected wherever they are and for friends and family to keep in contact. You are able to forward massages and add new contacts making it a very easy way for everyone to be involved. Emails are also there forever unless you delete them, so any past information a person may need is easily accessible.

The limitations of using emails are that if you have no internet you cannot receive or send emails. Another limitation is that you may accidentally delete an email and lose a lot of information; there may also be a problem with the internet therefore meaning a lack of communication between businesses which could have consequences.

My personal experiences with email include keeping in contact with family abroad and making sure I’m up to date with my work at school, being able to instantly send messages means I can keep to deadlines and easily access them anytime I need to.

Phones

Phones really only have one use which is to talk to another person electronically. It allows you to hear the voice of another person when you are not with them; it is a more personal way of communicating with a person rather than by email or text. Conversations can last a lot longer and flow a lot more, sometimes hearing another person’s voice is a lot more direct than a text.

The scopes of a phone is that you can ring pretty much anyone who has a phone, you just need their number. Phones also allow you to hear another person’s voice, so when talking to family and friends it can make the situations a lot more personal and familiar. You can get in touch with another person a lot quicker as the ring attracts there attention.

The limitations of using a phone is that sometimes the person on the receiving end may not pick up the phone, meaning a limit in communication. Also using a phone does cost money; usually you pay by the minute accumulating in a big bill if you are on it for a long time. Finally if you do not have signal you will not be able to use your phone to ring someone.

My own personal experiences of phones is that I use mine to call someone at least twice a day, as I find communication over the phone a lot easier because I can explain things instead of wasting time typing it all out. Also sometimes over text there are a lot of misunderstandings due to auto correction so I prefer just talking over the phone.

Text

The use of text is to be able to instantly send a receive messages using words and “Emoji’s”. It is a quick and easy way of communicating with others without having to actually talk to them. Words can be shortened and slang has been made to make texting communication even quicker.

The scopes of text are that it is an instant and easy way of communicating with others. You can use text 24/7 and it is a cheap way of communicating. Texting is also simple and it does not take up much of your time. Texting is also a good way of communicating for people who have hearing difficulties.

The limitations of text are that it often becomes frustrating because auto correct often means you send the wrong word in your message. Also texting doesn't always mean an instant response as it does not always catch the receiver’s attention; many people also forget to answer texts. Furthermore to send a text you need signal, for some people service can be a constant problem which means a lack of communication via texting.

My own experiences of texting is that I text people quite often if I only have short things to say or need to remind someone of something. My most often sent text is probably “ring me” as I prefer to talk over the phone than to text as there are always misunderstandings. I also tend to forget to answer people’s texts and vice verse. Overall I use texting to nag at people to ring me or answer their calls! 

Introduction to Online Services

Online services have changed the way we work, interact and think. We can now access the Internet through our smart phones, tablets, laptops and computers wherever we are. The Internet influences our daily lives in many ways from how we speak, to our friends, to how we spend our money. The Online Services are divided into sub categories:

E – Commerce

E-Commerce is the way of which we shop; deal with our banking and many payments online. We are now provided with 24/7 service of shopping and banking meaning we can access them at any time. You can now get apps where you can check your balances and pay your bills whilst on your mobile.  

Communication

We can now communicate with others instantly all over the world, for example we now have things like Skype and emails which allow us to send instant messages and to even use a live webcam. We can also write blogs and get the most recent stories from the news.There are many other social networking apps and websites that allow us to post pictures and videos to update our friends and families on what we are doing. 

Real Time information

Real Time information allows us to check the most recent train timetables, giving us an update on the latest news and what the local weather is going to be like for the next 7 days. Real Time information can also provide commuters with the latest traffic and train reports. 

Government

A more recent online service allows us to have online tax returns, to also be able to pay our car insurance and tax online through the Government gateway. We can also access services like the NHS direct, allowing you to check your own symptoms online. 

Education

Education has changed a lot due to online services; we are now able to take part in interactive lessons and revision sessions. We can also do our UCAS applications online and have VLE’s to keep us connected with school whilst at home.

Business

Businesses are now able to connect worldwide through video conferencing and collaborative working. They are also able to have their own business networks making it a more worldwide way of connecting.

Entertainment

Entertainment is now accessible from any device due to apps like YouTube and game websites that allow you to use them anywhere. We can now download and listen to music wherever we are.

Download Services

Download services have allowed us to upgrade or download software on our devices, we are now able to download films that we can watch anywhere without the use of the Internet and music we can listen to any time.

Cloud Archiving

We now have cloud archiving which is where data that no longer needs to be accessed on a regular basis is stored, managed and backed up on a cloud storage service provider.