Online Goods and Services Topic 4

Online Goods and Services Topic 4

1. Online Auctions

   • online auctions are very similar to traditional auctions but buyers and sellers can be all over the world.
   • its much easier and less time consuming finding the items or buyer that you need.
   • they work buy the seller and bidder create online accounts, seller supplies a description and photograph of item for auction, the bidder with the highest bid at a scheduled time 'wins'' the item, the bidder is obliged to buy the item they have 'won' in the auction. finally the seller and bidder exchange emails to arrange payments and delivery.
   • Features
     • bidders can search for items they want
     • bidders can see the status of there bids
     • changes can be made before the scheduled end time
     • users of the auction service can rate each other
     • sellers can chose to make an item available to purchase immediately rather than have bidders bid for it
     • secure payment is arranges by the auction site
   • benefits include the ability to search easily, communicate with users, third party payment options and a large number of sellers competing for business

2. Online Shopping

   • online shopping refers to the buying and selling of goods and services using websites accessed through the internet.
   • they work by websites displaying gods for sale, customers place products in the virtual 'shopping basket'. customers select check out, a payment is made and services are delivered to the customer.
   • features
     • facilities to search for goods
     • image of products provided
     • 24/7 availability
     • comparison of prices to similar products
     • recommendations for future purchases
     • customer reviews of the products
     • bookable delivery services eg food delivery
   • advantages for the customer: you can read reviews of a product, you can shop all day every day, you do not have to leave the house. also you have the rights to return goods up to 7 days of delivery unless goods are customised, these far grater choice as there no geographical restrictions and you can find the best prices on comparison websites.
   • disadvantages for the customer: you need internet access and computer skills, you cant pay in cash, you can not try on clothes. also you usually have to pay for delivery, there is a risk of not receiving the products and you have to submit personal information.
   • impact on business include that they can sell to any where in the world they don't have to pay shop rent and need fewer staff.
   • impact on life stiles: easier access for people with physical disabilities, available any time for people who work, it reduces carbon footprint and there more choice for people in remote areas.

3. Transactional Data

   • it is the information collected about the sale or purchase which is then stored in a data base and can be easily searched through and sorted.
   • a transaction occurs every time you buy or sell something
   • personal data information is often stored in cookies (small text files) created on your computer when you visit a website.
   • commercial value
     • transactional data is extremely valuable to the organisations you buy it from.
     • it allows delivery to be tracked
     • it allows organisations to keep a record of your purchases
     • it contains a rich source of information about customer shopping habits and preferences

4. search engines

   • a computer program that searches for a web content that contains, or is tagged with, the key words you have entered into the search
   • No one checks or verifies that websites contain truthful information
   • techniques
     • your choice of key words is important, add more key words to narrow down the search
     • add 'AND' to show pages containing both words
     • add 'NOT' to find pages containg the words before and not the words after.
     • 'OR' shows pages containing one or the other