E-Commerce Websites - Book Report/Review Example

E-Commerce Websites E-Commerce can be best described as certain commercial transactions which are enables digitally between different organizations and individuals. The important thing here is that E-Commerce is the “trade” that happens over the internet and for it to take place; a transaction of some value has to take place between two or more different parties. In this digital world of today where the traditional boundaries have disappeared enabling organizations and associations to reach out and transact with people across the globe, the significance of an E-Commerce website which is well maintained and well organized is critical. Today, many businesses are built solely on the weight of these digital market places where the website is the sole place of interaction between the customers and the sellers. Many examples include ebay.com, amazon.com etc. Websites such as these don’t have a physical presence in the world, they are merely a fragment of the vast internet that we have today. Should the internet disappear, so will these businesses. They conduct all their business online which means that they have to keep the customer interested in coming back to their website over and over again. This demands an effective content which is relevant to your target audience as well as clear communication methods so that the customer doesn’t experience difficulty in voicing what they want and how they want it. This is supported in the works of numerous authors like Rich (2008, pp. 79-81) in which he stresses the need for a website which is user friendly as well as contains content which is of high quality and relevance to the target market. Sun and Finnie (2004, pp. 48-49) highlight the imperative nature of weighing the advantages and disadvantages of having an E-Commerce website. They focus a few facts such as the way E-Commerce can broaden the reach of an organization and it can complement the existing physical structures of the stores by a well-managed communication, and marketing integration. It can also decrease costs and can help sellers study the buying behaviors of the customers more easily by studying their online transactions. However, it should be noted that these transactions are extremely complex and if the entire system which supports that E-Commerce is not well maintained and has not achieved a synergy with the already existing systems in place for that business (in case of a traditional physical presence retailer or business), then there is really not point in maintain a website because it would ruin the impression of the business. Plus, if the website is not updated regularly, it may not even add value to the sellers or customers, which defeats the entire purpose of having an online commercial transaction based system for your business. This view is also shared by Bidgoli (2002, pp. 56-59) who highlights that E-Commerce may indeed provide flexibility and greater reach, but security issues, lack of technical education in the relevant area and the lack of acceptance as yet may lead to the possible failure of E-Commerce websites. It is up to the business, that how they see their customers preference and taste of a comfortable shopping experience. To highlight the different types and features of E-Commerce websites, we take 5 different websites of companies around the world which are engaging in online business transactions. ShoeGuru.com This is an online Canadian retailer which sells shoes and also keeps its prices affordable for its users and basically carries the names like Gola, UroadsCreative Recreation etc. in its online shop. Its layout is pretty basic with the catalogue emerging and adverts running as soon as you log onto the page and the different categories are listed at the top right corner so that the customers can navigate easily. The different types of shoes are displayed along with their price and once the customer wants to purchase a certain design, the simply have to select their shoe size and then add to their shopping cart, fill out the various fields of information of contact and payment details of the customers and the product is shipped via UPS in the selected countries where the service is available. All the prices are displayed in the current US. Dollar and customers can also create their accounts for free so that they can keep a track of their purchases (which goes the same for the company). The company also displays its contact in the FAQ’s section so that the customers can voice their opinions. Moreover, the products available have different screenshots available so that the customers can get a good look at what they are about to buy. For more information, the business clearly displays its contact info@shoeguru.ca. The vibrant contrasts and the bold use of dark colors shows the customer that they can trust this sophisticated brand and the FAQ section is well maintained to show the shipping time, zones etc. to the customer. It certainly is a good and user friendly website. Priceline.com It is a website which allows the users to name their own price in terms of air travel tickets and destination. The customers can choose their destination and see the available airlines and routes and then bid their price on the one they want. They buy the package when there isn’t a higher (or in their own perception-lower) bidder than them. Priceline charges its own fee on top of that and away you go. The website is filled with information on the flights and options one can take as well as package deals. The website offers a straight away click of what the dates of the preferred flight has to be, destination etc. as well. Once the information is filled out, it offers the customer the names of the airlines that are flying to those destinations and the dates, the timing (as well as a feature for full details) and the price is displayed of the current trip and you have to bid accordingly. A person has to create an account or log in to become a member of the website and keep a track of their transactions and share their credit card information to use the service completely. There are numerous options for city guides and travel logs which can assist the customer in getting knowledge about where they want to go. Even though the method maybe simple, as shown on the website. The company has received bad publicity and a host of unsatisfied customers who claim that the company has hidden charges and can misuse the credit card and charge higher. They also claim that the destinations displayed on the websites are not the ones taking them directly to their own destination which they wanted to go in the first place resulting in delays and confusion. Numerous online blogs and news websites (which are displayed in the bibliography) have displayed content about the website being fraudulent in money matters and deceiving the customers in terms of packages and convenience. FogDog This is an online retailer which sells sports equipment, shoes, apparel and accessories. It carries different labels and the website itself is segregated into various departments so that the customers don’t have a hard time finding what they want and can browse at their own convenience. The layout and design is pretty simple and straight forward with no frills and not much drama. The products are displayed straight forwardly and their prices and names are displayed beneath them. There isn’t really an account required for the transaction but members can get discounts and can have special offers. The prices and the details as well as the summary of the billing are shown once the product is chosen and the number of items available in stock is also updated so that the latest information is received by the customer. After the selection, the details of payment and contact of the customer are required so that the company can ship the product. It offers various sub segments of equipment and merchandise which leads to a variety of products available at FogDog.com. The bizrate.com1 has deemed it to be quite good2 and user friendly for the customers, which has made the company a success. The customers awaiting their orders can also track them with unique identifying codes so that they know what the status of their order is. The payments are done through PayPal and the help desk has an immense amount of information which can help the customers’ conveniently. The website strength lies in its categories and the immense variety of items available for sports lovers or sports fans who can find just about anything at FogDog.com. The trick is to keep the website updates so that the consumer doesn’t end up getting frustrated when he/she orders something only to find the item out of stock which can delay the receiving of the item. Thus FogDog.com is well managing its website to add value for the company itself and for the customers who have come to rely on the company. Nike.com The website offers a glimpse into the sporting shoes and accessories world of tomorrow with dynamic and interactive media content and strong colors as well as the options of customization and the shopping online experience. It asks for the convenient language you would like to see the content in and it also segregates the selections into different user friendly categories which can help the user in making an informed decision. The website also offers various color choices in its products and the members can log in and create accounts to place their orders and shop online. The customizability factor in shoes and clothing gives it an edge and the dynamic content and HD view of the material gets the consumer to make an informed choice. The problem is that all the content requires specific software updates of flashplayer so that a person can view the content in the first place which might be bothersome to some individuals. However, on the flip side, Nike is a name people trust and their interactive and detailed website has left no stone unturned when it comes to offering variety in sports shoes and clothing and customizability factor. My travel Guide The fast paced life gives people little time to plan their own vacations. This has created a opportunity for website which provide complete travel services. The do not only engage in bookings, reservations but also give their customers a complete overview of the tour online. This helps people match destinations with desires. Thus everyone can have their dream vacation in the minimum price. My travel guide provides this service to its customers. MyguideTravel is parent company to a number of travel companies around the world which provide similar services to specific target markets. The following are subsidiaries of my travel guide myguideIreland myguideBritain myguideScotland myguideNewEngland Cormac ONeill is currently the acting CEO of My Travel guide. Along with company President Jim Kelly he has revolutionized the business and expanded it to many different parts of the world. Conclusion The E-Commerce world is now supporting the transactions of not only sole businesses, but also whole countries. Even China has been developing and updating its infrastructures of Banking, IT etc. to support E-Commerce and make the country more and more digitally efficient in its commercial transactions. China is capitalizing on its major E-Commerce players like sina.com.cn, sohu.com.cn etc. to build its own economy into the E-Commerce world. Soon the world would solely relay on e commerce and businesses which do not implement e commerce would evaporate. References Bidgoli. H., 2002.Electronic commerce: principles and practice. Academic Press. CA. USA http://books.google.com.pk/books?id=Etx9d5VY2h8C&pg=PA66&dq=what+are+e+commerce+websites&hl=en&ei=bKULTPeHK-iV4gbTh9C5AQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CE0Q6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=what%20are%20e%20commerce%20websites&f=false http://books.google.com.pk/books?id=GM7SgLIzYnsC&pg=PA56&dq=e+commerce+advantages+and+disadvantages&hl=en&ei=CbALTJfjHILB4gbftLB-&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=e%20commerce%20advantages%20and%20disadvantages&f=false http://myshop.com.pk/laptops-pakistan/index.php http://shoeguru.ca/ http://www.angelfire.com/nt/priceline/ http://www.consumeraffairs.com/travel/priceline_air.html http://www.consumersrevenge.com/complaints/priceline.htm http://www.fogdog.com/home/index.jsp http://www.nike.com/nikeos/p/nike/en_GB/? http://www.nike.com/nikeos/p/nike/en_US/ http://www.priceline.com/ Online Available at: Rich. R.J., 2008. Design and Launch an Online E-Commerce Business in a Week.Entrepreneur Media. Online Available at: http://books.google.com.pk/books?id=vHvTZd1sHd8C&pg=PA80&dq=what+are+e+commerce+websites&hl=en&ei=bKULTPeHK-iV4gbTh9C5AQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=what%20are%20e%20commerce%20websites&f=false Sun. Z., Finnie. G.R., 2004. Intelligent techniques in e-commerce: a case based reasoning perspective.Springer-VerlagBerline Heidelberg New York. Online Available at: http://books.google.com.pk/books?id=sgaIye_nPl4C&pg=PA44&dq=what+are+e+commerce+websites&hl=en&ei=bKULTPeHK-iV4gbTh9C5AQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CFcQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=what%20are%20e%20commerce%20websites&f=false Wong. J., Nah. S.L., 2001. Chinas emerging new economy: the internet and E-Commerce. Singapore University Press. Online Available at: Read More