online goods and services

online goods and services

1. search engines

   • a computer program that searches for web content that contains or is tagged with the keywords you have entered
     • techniques
       • add more words to narrow down search
       • search by the type of object you are searching for
       • search by date and time

2. storage

   • local
     • control over access to files, difficult to share data, you have to back up your data
   • online
     • data is available everywhere, some online data storage, data is backed up for you

3. commercial response to SaaS

   • commercial software producers such as microsoft make money by selling software applications such as word processors and spreadsheets
   • responses to SaaS
     • made their products more appealing and of better quality by including more facilities and fuctions
     • offer their own versions of software as service

4. applications software

   • locally installed software
     • advantages
       • works better without being online, you hold the license to use the software, you control access to the computer so security is good
     • disadvantages
       • takes up a large amount of file space, must download and install upgrades and patches to fix bugs, all data is stored locally so it must be backed up
     • hosted software
       • advantages
         • software doesn't take up any file space on your computer, allows users from different parts of the world to work on the same document at the same time
       • disadvantages
         • cannot work without an internet connection, not as secure- hosting company might be targeted by online hackers, response time depends on network speed

5. consumer protection

   • The Consumer Protection Act 1987 is designed to protect consumers and give them rights when buying goods and services, eg manufacturers are legally obliged to put certain information on products, such as health and safety messages on cigarettes.

6. payment systems

   • A payment system is any system used to settle financial transactions through the transfer of monetary value, and includes the institutions, instruments, people, rules, procedures, standards, and technologies that make such an exchange possible.
   • online bank transfer
     • Electronic funds transfer (EFT) is the electronic transfer of money from one bank account to another, either within a single financial institution or across multiple institutions, via computer-based systems, without the direct intervention of bank staff. EFT's are known by a number of names.
   • online coupons and evouchers
     • An online coupon refers to a discount code or number that can be redeemed on a website. Like traditional coupons, online coupons are used to attract new customers and increase the loyalty of new customers.
     • An evoucher is a 12-digit code consisting of numbers and upper case letters which can be used as part payment for an online groceries order.
   • third party payment processoea
     • A payment processor is a company (often a third party) appointed by a merchant to handle transactions from various channels such as credit cards and debit cards for merchant acquiring banks. They are usually broken down into two types: front-end and back-end.
   • credit cards/debit cards
     • a small plastic card issued by a bank, building society, etc., allowing the holder to purchase goods or services on credit.
     • a card allowing the holder to transfer money electronically from their bank account when making a purchase.