INTRODUCTION
Online shopping is the process consumers go through to purchase products or services over the Internet. An online shop,
eshop, e-store, internet shop, webshop, webstore, online store, or virtual store evokes the physical analogy of buying
products or services at a bricks-and-mortar retailer or in a shopping mall.
The metaphor of an online catalog is also used, by analogy with mail order catalogs. All types of stores have retail web
sites, including those that do and do not also have physical storefronts and paper catalogs. Online shopping is a type of
electronic commerce used for business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions.
Webshop
The term "Webshop" also refers to a place of business where web development, web hosting and other types of web related
activities take place (Web refers to the World Wide Web and "shop" has a colloquial meaning used to describe the place).
Buying online introduced new ways of reducing costs by reducing the number of staff needed. It is a more effective way of
getting products to people and spreading into different demographics.
Benefits of online shopping
Bargaining power of consumers. They enjoy a wider choice
Supplier power. It is more difficult for consumers to manage a non-digital channel.
Internet increases commoditisation
Threat of new entrants. Online means it is easier to introduce new services with lower over-heads
Threat of substitutes
Rivalry among competitors. It is easier to introduce products and services to different markets
[edit] History
Online shopping pre-dates the internet/www, the IBM PC and Microsoft. It was invented in the
of Redifon Computers. Aldrich connected a modified 26" colour television to a real-time transaction processing computer via
a domestic telephone line and demonstrated online shopping.[1] From 1980 onwards he sold his systems in the
able success.
The world's first recorded B2B online shopping system was Thomson Holidays in March 1981.[2] The world's first recorded B2C
was Gateshead SIS/Tesco in May 1984.[3] The world's first recorded online home shopper was Mrs Jane Snowball of
in Financial Services and manufacturing industry, used the Aldrich systems. These systems operated over the switched public
network in dial-up and leased line modes. There was no broadband capability.
In 1990 Tim Berners-Lee created the first World Wide Web server and browser.[6] In 1992 Charles Stack created the first
online book store, Book Stacks Unlimited (aka Books.com), two years before Jeff Bezos started Amazon.[7] In 1994 other
advances took place, such as online banking and the opening of an online pizza shop by Pizza Hut.[6] During that same year,
Netscape introduced SSL encryption of data transferred online, which has become essential for secure online shopping. In 1995 Amazon expanded its online shopping, and in 1996 eBay appeared.[6].
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