Chapter 15 The elements of e-Commerce E-Commerce David

Chapter 15: The elements of e-Commerce E-Commerce ©David Whiteley/Mc. Graw-Hill, 2000 1

Elements v The basic elements: § An e-Shop on a Server § User (customer) with a web Browser § An Internet connection v Additional issues: § Visibility § Ease of Use § Order Processing § Online Payments § Security § Delivery Systems § After-Sales E-Commerce ©David Whiteley/Mc. Graw-Hill, 2000 2

Elements E-Commerce ©David Whiteley/Mc. Graw-Hill, 2000 3

e-Visibility v Getting the site noticed and the online customers visiting the store. v Ways of advertising a web presence and getting customers in through the door include: § Site Name § Conventional Advertising § Portals § Malls § Search Engines § Links § Personal Recommendations E-Commerce ©David Whiteley/Mc. Graw-Hill, 2000 4

e-Visibility – site name v The surest way of finding a site is the url. v If the url is memorable then the site is made: § amazon. com v A sensible simple site name can be guessed by users: § britishairways. com E-Commerce ©David Whiteley/Mc. Graw-Hill, 2000 5

e-Visibility – conventional advertising v An irony of e-Commerce sites is the apparent urge to advertise them through conventional media. v Conventional advertising of Internet addresses has a threefold effect: § It boosts the image of the organisation – it gives an air of modernity and ‘high-tech’; § It lets the customer know that the organisation has Internet facilities; § It can give users access via the url. E-Commerce ©David Whiteley/Mc. Graw-Hill, 2000 6

e-Visibility – portals v The first page a user sees is the portal. v An advert on a popular portal is the web equivalent of a TV advert at half time in the cup final or in a break during the Superbowl – it is seen by millions. v An advert on a popular web search engine is a similar piece of property. v Adverts on the portal can be: § Banners § Little boxes § Menu of services E-Commerce ©David Whiteley/Mc. Graw-Hill, 2000 7

e-Visibility – malls v An Internet shopping mall models itself on the American shopping mall, a lot of shops, under one roof with a pleasant shopping atmosphere. v The intention is to generate interest and thus trade for all the shops. v An Internet mall can provide common services. Possibilities include: § Shared advertising. § Common facilities. § e-Cash. § Common customer files. v The drawback of joining a mall is that, as for any good retail location, the rents can be high. E-Commerce ©David Whiteley/Mc. Graw-Hill, 2000 8

e-Visibility – search engines v A search engine is a standard way to find any Internet site and that includes e‑Shops. v Finding a specific e-Commerce site may or may not be easy - a successful e-Shop could do with appearing in that top ten list of hits. v The search engines index the web by: § Manual indexing; § Automatic Indexing (web crawlers). v Crawlers look at: § The