Custom «Online Shopping » Essay Paper Sample

Online shopping involves a process whereby a customer buys products be it good or services by use of the Internet. Online shaping started to gain popularity in the early 1990 after the creation of the first world web server and browser by Tim Berners-Lee. The world web server and browser began to be used for commercial services in 1991. From then, online shopping has grown to the extent that it is becoming the major ways that consumers use to buy goods and services in the developing country. At the beginning, it is the young people who used online shopping. Theses were young men who were well educated and had high income. However, this is changing as time goes where nowadays where people of the old generation are getting involved in online shopping. Women were also not so much engaged in online shopping but according to a study conducted in 2001 fifty two percent of women were involved in online shopping (Liu, 2007).

Despite its growth as a popular way of buying and selling it still caters for the needs of the middle and the upper class people. To undertake online shopping, a computer is a basic need. One cannot carry out online shopping without a computer. The other necessities that one must have is a debit card and a bank account. This is because the transaction takes place electronically and, therefore, everything needed must be electronic. The attitude of a consumer to adapt to online shopping is enhanced by availability of technology. The more a consumer is exposed to technology the more he or she develops a favorable attitude towards online shopping or other shopping channels provided through the Internet. Customers do shopping by visiting the websites of their retailers or a consumer may decide to search for a product in various website (Mendelsohn, 2009). Payments of the goods and services can use various means, which are available, for example, credit card, cheque, wire transfer or use of gift cards. It is a convenient method of buying goods and services as one can do shopping from home without having to travel to stores for shopping.

There are many factors that affect online shopping. The factors may enhance online shopping or reduce its efficiency. There are many ways that online stores or retailers use to advertise their products online. One of the ways is an online advertising. Many stores use websites to advertise the goods and services that they offer. Advertising through the website allows consumers to have access to the products as they visit or browse the websites. Retailers who use website advertisements are in a better position to make more sales that who do not. Websites allow consumers to have access to products of their wish and look at the details, for example, the prices and the quality direct from the retailer (Mendelsohn, 2009). Website advertisement is the best means of promotion of goods and services in online shopping.

Another way that online shops increase their credibility, is dealing with other companies, for example, McAfee Anti-Virus. They work with companies that are well known by many consumers so that to gain the trust of the consumers. By working with such companies, online shops enhance trust with their companies hence the online shop can secure financial transactions from the consumers. This is one of the ways that new online shops use to attract customers. They find this as an avenue to enter the online shopping business. By collaborating with other companies, the online shops make their brand known to consumers hence this acts as a pull for consumers to start looking at what the online shops offer. Trust and publicity is all what the online shops looks for when working with other companies (Prussakov, 2008).