Amazon

Definition

Amazon.com is an American-based multinational e-commerce company. It is America's largest online retailer.


You can buy from many different departments such as books, music, toys and electronic equipment and much more.

Features

Like e-bay people can also sell items they no longer want. So as well as it being a business to user online retail site it is also a user to user retail site.


For example this CD can be bought at the normal retail price of £4.99 but also at a lower price of £3.18.

Other businesses can advertise on Amazon which normally change as to the item you are viewing. For example when I was viewing the CD above an advert for headphones came up as it is relevant. This acts as an income to Amazon as the adverts posted by companies always cost.

Amazon also has many other features such as a money converter and wish lists.

Also a lot of the products have reviews so if you are comparing two products you can see which one other buyers prefer and what is good and bad about each product.

Also you can preview the album before you buy it and if you only like a few of the songs you can download them indivdually as mp3 downloads.

Another feature of Amazon is that there is a tab on the site which tells you what the best deals of the week are on the site such as if a television had been reduced in price it would appear on this page of the site. As it is called 'Deal of the Week' it is updated each week so it is always new and up to date.

Online Banking.

Online banking

Online banking (or Internet banking) allows customers to conduct financial transactions on a secure website operated by their retail or vitual bank,  credit union or building socitety.


This shows that a website is secure. The bar turns green and there is a picture of a padlock.

Pros:

Convenience: Unlike your corner bank, online banking sites never close; they’re available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and they’re only a mouse click away. 

Ubiquity: If a money problem arises while you’re out of state or out of the country, you can log on instantly to your online bank and take care of business — 24/7. 

Transaction speed: Online banking sites generally execute and confirm transactions at or quicker than ATM processing speeds. 

Efficiency: You can access and manage all of your accounts from one secure site. 

Effectiveness: Many online banking sites offer sophisticated tools, including account aggregation, stock quotes, rate alerts and portfolio managing programs to help you manage all of your assets more effectively. Most are also compatible with money managing programs.

Cons:

It may take time to get started: If you’re new to online banking, it might take time to register for your bank’s online program. Or, it may be easier to physically fill out a form at your local branch.

Learning curve: Some banking sites can be difficult to navigate.

Banking site changes: Even the largest banks periodically upgrade their online programs, adding new features in unfamiliar places.

Trust: Trusting an online banking system is an issue for two main reasons: identity theft and operator error. If you use a non-secure wireless Internet connection, it might not be a good idea to use online banking. It’s too easy for a savvy ID thief to view your personal information.

This image shows all the features of a normal online banking site and what you can do online and what you can't do.



E-commerce 2

Features

Nearly all highstreet stores have their own webiste now which allows people to buy items of clothing online. This gives stores a wider customer base so people in remote ares who live no where near a certain store can still buy the companies product.


When finding the stores website for example Topshop you are presented with catorgies of items the store sells like dresses, knitwear, shoes etc.

You select the one you like and then you can browse through the items in this group. When you select an item you like you can view it closer and from many different angles to get a better idea of what the piece of clothing is like.

If you then decide to buy an item of clothing you select the size you want to buy and how many of the item you want. If you are unsure as to what size you can click the size guide for measurments. Then you click add to bag and it appears in the 'My bag' section up the top of the page.

The trouble with internet shopping is there are many sercurity issues. People don't like sending credit card details over the internet incase internet hackers intercept the details and use them. Now though, many sites use encryption software so details are scrabbled on sending and can only be read by decryption software which the only the company will have the details to unscrabble the details to continue the payment process. Other ways of knowing whether a site is trustworthy are that the address bar may turn green to indicate that a site has an additional level of security and a padlock will show in the browser.


You can now also do your food shopping online with all the popular stores such as sainsburys and tescos.

Ebay is another example of an online shopping site where you can buy now or bid on new and used items from clothing to toasters to holidays. It is a comany now worth billions of dollars. All you have to do is start an account and browse through the millions of items on the site. Also once you have an account you can sell goods you no longer need anymore.



Newstories

Boy, three, buys car on internet

A three-year-old boy has used his mother's computer to buy a £9,000 car on an internet auction site. Jack Neal's parents only discovered their son's successful bid when they received a message from eBay about the Barbie pink Nissan Figaro.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lincolnshire/5379930.stm

eBay fraudster fined after bidding on his own auctions to boost the price


An eBay seller has been forced to pay £5,000 and do 250 hours community service after being found guilty of bidding on his own auctions to boost the price.
Minibus firm owner Paul Barret was told he would have been facing a prison sentence if it had not been for his lack of previous convictions and the relatively small sums involved.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1292179/eBay-seller-fined-bidding-auctions-boost-price.html

E-commerce

Definition

Online shopping is the process consumers go through to purchase products, goods or services over the Internet.

http://www.epinions.com/content_1972609156

Advantages of Online Shopping

• You can shop 24 hours a day 7 days a week
• You can view all products from one place
• Save petrol as you dont have to leave the home to shop.
• You don't have to wait in lines to pay
• You can compare prices from all different stores in one place.
• You can shop in private

Disadvantages of Online Shopping

• You can't try items of clothing on which you wish to buy
• You can only pay by credit card
• You often have to pay a delivary charge
• Credit card insercruity
• Errors in billing are more common when shopping online