INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FOR BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

Project Report on

Submitted to:Submitted by: Section B

Prof. R. K. JenaGroup: 04

Adithya Ramkumar (2015072)

Chitrini Chalmela (2015091)

Debasija Chakarborty(2015092)

Pallavi Kher(2015106)

Surabhi Kumari (2015121)

Surendra Saini (2015122)

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Contents

INTRODUCTION 3

EVOLUTION 3

ADANTAGES OF ECOMMERCE 3

DISADVANTAGES OF ECOMMERCE 4

INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH OF ECOMMERCE 5

E-COMMERCE MODEL 6

BUSINESS TO BUSINESS (B2B) MODEL 7

BUSINESS TO CONSUMER (B2C) 8

CONSUMER TO CONSUMER E-COMMERCE MODEL (C2C) 8

CONSUMER TO BUSINESS E-COMMERCE MODEL 9

SWOT ANALYSIS OF E-COMMERCE 9

STRENGTHS: 10

WEAKNESS: 11

OPPORTUNITIES: 12

THREATS: 12

FRAMEWORK OF E-COMMERCE 13

ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF E-COMMERCE FRAMEWORK : 13

ISSUES INVOLVED IN E-COMMERCE 15

FINANCIAL ISSUES 15

LEGAL ISSUES 15

MARKET RELATED ISSUES 15

ETHICAL ISSUES 15

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ISSUES 15

BENEFITS TO CONSUMERS 16

BENEFITS TO ORGANISATIONS THAT USE E-COMMERCE WITH THEIR BUSINESS

PARTNERS 17

FUTURE OF ECOMMERCE 18

CUSTOMER CARE PLAYS AN ESSENTIAL ROLE 20

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INTRODUCTION

E-Commerce also known as Electronic Commerce is the use of internet to perform trading and business activities. The various technologies used by e-commerce business are Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT), Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), mobile ecommerce etc. E-Commerce has become a thriving business and is still growing exponentially towards the future.

EVOLUTION

In the 1960s, the US Defence Department developed ARPANET, a secure and robust communication network for networking with defence organizations. In 1971, the ARPANET network was started to be used by academicians to share research. A sale was arranged between students at Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and Massachusetts Institute of Technology and this was the first e-commerce business ever to be done. Slowly, this network evolved and grew into a world-wide inter-connected network called Internet.

In 1989, the CERN scientist Tim Breener proposed and modelled the first text based browser WorldWideWeb for use of over the internet. In 1994, Netscape introduced the navigator browser, Mozilla, which ensured secure transactions due to SSL encryptions. In 1995, Amazon.com and eBay.com were released which changed the outlook of online shopping.

In 1990s, Windows OS from Microsoft became the most sought after operating system and integration with desktop computers lead to very easy graphical user interface to be used.

ADANTAGES OF ECOMMERCE

The potential benefits and advantages of e-commerce are

i. CONVENIENCE

Shopping of goods can be done online and delivered to door-step. This will help people to avoid standing in long queues at supermarkets and save time.

For example, we have an online portal called BigBasket which provides shopping for fruits, vegetables and other edible items. Once we order them online and provide our address, it will be delivered to our door step within 24 hours.

ii. FLEXIBILITY

Various products can be compared online in different websites and cheapest prices can be chosen for a particular product.

For example, Airplane tickets in India can be bought from various websites like Makemytrip.com, Yatra.com, and Ibibo.com etc. We are able to compare the seat prices for the same airplane in all the online portals and choose the best and cheapest option available.

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iii. GLOBAL MARKET

The internet is connected world-wide and we get the opportunity to connect with global market to obtain any items of our choice and also interact with people over the globe without feeling the distance from our place of stay.

iv. LOW COST AND LOW INVESTMENT

Normal brick and mortar business needs huge investment for building, furniture, electricity to establish a new business. Also the customer base will be small for the business compared to a online ecommerce business where the customer base can be the whole world.

v. SEARCH OF PRODUCTS

All products are not obtained at conventional business and at certain locations. We would need to travel to find such products. However ecommerce has brought the world closer and we can search the product online and get it delivered to our door step without any hassle.

DISADVANTAGES OF ECOMMERCE

There are a few challenges faced by e-commerce business.

i. SECURITY

The major concern of people performing business and shopping through ecommerce sites is Security. They are hesitant to type their credit card numbers for online transactions due to large amount of news on Internet Hacking. They are also afraid of con-men cheating them of their money with false promises to deliver products. People still prefer to be present when the shopkeeper swipes their cards against the transactions.

However nowadays E-commerce provides secure transactions through SSL encryptions to avoid security threats by hackers. Also there are various Digital Certificates online that will verify the authenticity of the supplier. We also have many online payment services which do not transfer money to the supplier unless confirmation of delivery is shown by the customer.

ii. PRIVACY

All online portals try to obtain personal information of the customers to gather data about their customers preferences. This is to ensure that the buyers preferences are advertised when the customer comes again online for shopping. However the dark side of the information gathering is that the personal information can be made public and customers do not want that to happen.

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iii. INFORMATION OVERLOAD

The number of websites that has cropped up in the Internet to provide data on various products has caused chaos for potential customers. For example, a person wishing to buy a phone will browse the internet to check the specifications and review. However he will find many reviews that will confuse him from getting the right information.

iv. PRODUCT SCREENING

There are many products that can be bought online after reading the reviews provided such as books, CDs, softwares etc. However people want to experience some of the products like clothes, phones, etc before buying. These are now being made possible by virtual representations to provide a realistic experience for the buyers.

v. INTEGRITY

Nowadays we get lot of information about various topics online. However the authenticity of the data cannot be proved easily. This is because opinions of everyone can be uploaded to the internet and it need not be verified. Valuable contents can be obtained from the web as source of information for research material but need to be verified with a solid source before being used.

INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH OF ECOMMERCE

Ecommerce is a new field which is gaining relevance with the passage of time. It is based on a number of disciplines which includes the following:

1. MARKETING:

Issues such as marketing strategy, kind of advertisements, cost to benefit analysis also hold true for ecommerce.

2. COMPUTER SCIENCE:

Technology is a key factor here. So the application of computer knowledge is of great help. Eg. Languages, Multimedia

3. CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR AND PSYCHOLOGY:

The understanding of the behaviour of customers along with their tastes and preferences is important for the success of ecommerce.

4. FINANCE:

Banks and the financial transactions play a significant role as all the payments are done using online transactions. Here issues of frauds are also addressed.

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5. ECONOMICS:

The effect of the business on the micro and the macro level can be studied with the knowledge of economics.

6. MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS:

This is responsible for deploying ecommerce. The issues of planning and implementation are a part of this.

Fig 1: Inter-disciplinary approach of E-Commerce

E-COMMERCE MODEL

The first and the most important step in the development of an e-commerce site is identify the e-commerce model. There are many different ways that an e-commerce website can make money. Based on who selling to whom, what they are selling, where they got it, and how they are completing the transaction. E commerce transaction can be done between various parties

.e-commerce can be classified in to four major model.

Business to business e-commerce (B2B) model

Business to consumer e-commerce (B2C) model

Consumer to consumer e-commerce (C2C) model

Consumer to business e-commerce (C2B) model

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BUSINESS TO BUSINESS (B2B) MODEL

This model defines that buyer and seller two different person. It is similar to manufacturer issuing goods to the retailer or wholesaler. This includes purchasing and production management, supplier management, inventory control management, sales activities, payment management, service and support.in this model both sellers and the buyers are business organisation.

Business to business is smart business. The opportunity in this model is even greater. A wholesaler may sell products to the retailer. There are advanced e-commerce tool which support multi-tier pricing or affordable pricing. This helps to set up online stores to offer preferred pricing to some vendors and shared price to others.

Business to business (B2B) model, the buyers, sellers, transaction involves only organisation or company. Business to business comprises about 85 percent of e-commerce dollar volume. It covers application that enables an enterprise to form electronic relationship with its distributers, reseller,seller,suppoliers,customers, and other partners.by using (B2B),organisation can restructure their supply chains and partner relationship.

Examples: free market, Dell and general electric,Ariba,Bigboxx.com.

B2B portals in south Asia

Business to Business or B2B electronic (e-commerce) transactions through the Internet is gaining increasing significance in the South Asia. All the south Asian countries are registering a rapid growth of Internet usage. According to estimates, in Bangladesh there are more than 5 million internet users and 3.5 percent of population. Pakistan has a 29 million internet users and Sri Lanka has an estimated population of 2.5million users. India, on the other hand has an internet 10.2 percent of the population with an estimated 121 million Internet users. There are several portals that specialize in business to business transaction in south Asian countries. Some of these are auction sites and some provide information and contact details of suppliers of various types of products. For example alibaba.com is a popular web site in Pakistan facilitating import and export trade. This web site provides the details of suppliers covering a wide variety of industry, such as manufacturing, agriculture, apparel and fashion, automobiles, chemicals, food and beverages, textiles, and leather product.

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BUSINESS TO CONSUMER (B2C)

Business to consumer e-commerce, involves customer gathering information; purchasing physical goods, service or receiving product over an electronic network. It is the model taking businesses and consumers interaction with consumers. The basic and important concept of this model is to sell the product online to the consumers or we can say end users.

Business to business model is the direct trade between the company and consumers. It provides selling through online.

For example: if want to sell goods and services to customer so that anybody can purchase any product directly from suppliers website.

CONSUMER TO CONSUMER E-COMMERCE MODEL (C2C)

In this model consumer sells directly to another consumer. EBay and bazree.com are common examples of online auction websites that provide a consumer to advertise and sell their products online to another consumer. The website brings the buyer and seller together to conduct deals. However, it is essential that both the seller and the buyer must register with the auction site.

Consumer to consumer e-commerce is simply commerce between private individuals , consumers. In this model e-commerce is characterized by the growth of electronic marketplace and online auction, particularly in vertical industries where firms can bid for what they want from among suppliers. It perhaps has the best potential for developing new markets.

When a customer plans to sell his products to other customers on the Website of eBay, his first needs to interact with an eBay website, which in this case as a facilitator of the overall transaction.

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CONSUMER TO BUSINESS E-COMMERCE MODEL

In C2B model consumers known a particular need for a product and service, and suppliers compete to provide the product or service to consumers .An example of Priceline.com, where the customer names a product or service and the desired price, and Priceline tries to find a suppliers to fulfil the stated need. In this model consumers decide the price of a product rather than the supplier. In this model includes individuals who sell products and services to organizations. For example, monster.com . E-commerce, by empowering the customer, has been strategically redefining business. An example of C2B model of e-commerce is the site Price line.Com, which allows prospective airline travellers, tourists in need of hotel reservations etc. to visit its websites and indicate their preferred price for travel between any two cities. If an airline is willing to issue a ticket on the customers offered price, the consumer can then travel to the mentioned destination at his terms.

Business

C2B Business Model

SWOT ANALYSIS OF E-COMMERCE

It is universally accepted fact that including electronic methods in order to do business adds to the value by either cutting down costs or by increasing the network of the business or by both.

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STRENGTHS:

1. Worldwide Market :

E-commerce provides boundary less access to the market, the businesses can expand to global level without any need for brick structure or specific boundary. The emerging global retailers are facilitated by ever growing global markets.

2. Time Saving:

Without doubt that transactions through E commerce are very fast as there is limited physical movements.

3. Price/Product Comparison:

The right to information and the right to choose is something each and every consumer has. E-commerce enables the price and product comparison for a consumer from comfort of their homes with ease. The consumers get better bargaining power with suppliers from all over the globe as compared to local traders.

4. No time constraint:

E-commerce enables transactions to happen anywhere, anytime as there are no constraint with relevance to time.

5. Faster Buying Procedure:

Purchasing a product is just a click away from the buyer. No physical movement is required on the part of buyer. The purchase process is faster as the hunt of right product at right price gets eliminated by e commerce.

6. Cost effective:

Since the long supply chain of distribution is eliminated, the need for brick infrastructure is decreased. It helps small scale business to compete with big market giants.

7. Flexible Target Market Division:

AS E commerce market segments can be changed anytime. It is dynamic in nature with results in effective and efficient business process.

8. Niche Market:

Niche market is concept of segmentation with segmentation, wherein the product of rare type are available without special efforts on part of the consumers. Selling of premium product through E commerce is more profitable as small segments can be reached easily without extra cost.

9. Quick Information exchange:

It guarantees fast and accurate sharing of information among the sellers and buyers and prompt communication.

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WEAKNESS:

1. Long Delivery time

When it comes to E commerce, the task of product delivery is usually outsourced. The outsourced party might deliver the product late extending to days, weeks which affects the goodwill of business.

2. Security:

Security is one of the biggest threat for E commerce with reference to the genuineness of the payment process.

3. False Websites:

There are many fraud websites present on internet which provides false data and promises which reduces trust of e-commerce.

4. Fraud-

There is also a threat of misuse of personal and financial data provided by the buyers. The information might be issued by hackers for their personal interest which can cause serious damage to the buyer.

5. Physical Examination:

There are some products whose selection is based only on physical verification are not suitable for E-commerce as online products cannot be touched, wore or tried. There is also a possibility that the buyers has ordered something and gets delivery of something else.

6. Personal Services:

E-commerce is profitable for physical products but in case of services E commerce cannot be used as one of the method to perform business.

7. Exposure:

In areas where the infrastructure is not yet developed or is poorly developed, there is no connection of internet. Thus E commerce cannot access those areas.

8. Limited Advertising:

Advertising on computer is only limited to computer literate people, especially ones who are comfortable with e commerce applications. One cannot reach the mass through e commerce.

9. Measuring consumer satisfaction:

Since there is no face to face contact with the consumer, it is difficult to measure the level of consumer satisfaction, also scope of convincing a potential buyer to purchase the product is very limited to online advertising and description of the products.

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OPPORTUNITIES:

1. Increase in Number of User

The number of users who use internet daily are increasing exponentially.

2. Changing trends

Consumers are growing brand conscious, they want to buy branded products rather than local ones. E- Commerce is fast and effective when it comes to payment as they can be made from any part of the world.

3. Global Expansion -

E commerce is accessible around the globe without any interruptions. Still there is a lot more scope of expansion.

4. Availability -

With each and every click of the mouse per page the business earns. Buyers who are occupied in day time can access and shop as per their convenience even during night hours, something which was not possible with local store or brick structures.

5. Business Growth -

E commerce has a lot of scope to grow. Business always takes place in gap. Identifying these gaps and using them as opportunities is an ongoing process, hence business growth is also ongoing and infinite.

6. Advertising -

Advertising is less costly compared to the conventional method of advertising on television and print media.

THREATS:

1. Competitors -

Global competition is ever growing. Giants have already entered in the E-commerce race. People are getting habituated of online purchase.

2. Dynamic environment -

Trends, fashion, law and regulations are fluctuating, not only in national market but also international market, this is a cause of distress for E-commerce business. Also, there is a threat of exchange rate fluctuations.

3. No direct interaction

The sellers and buyers cannot interact face to face. Thus there is no scope of bargaining, convincing of consumers, testing the product before purchase which is a limitation to the seller.

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4. Innovation -

Consumers are perpetually looking out for new technology, and technique. But it also causes extra burden on pocket of consumer, be it in any area of product development or its core components.

5. Privacy Concern -

The misuse of critical consumer data poses as a very big threat to the E commerce business. The consumers are sceptical to make online payments through most of the websites.

6. Fraud

Fraud on part of one person for personal gain can dampen the goodwill of the E commerce as a whole. It affects the confidence and faith of common people.

FRAMEWORK OF E-COMMERCE

E- Commerce framework consists of all the infrastructure required, namely various software application along with all the network requirement, for carrying out the E-commerce business. Framework shows how E-commerce is implemented in detail, also shows the crucial components required to do a transaction. To explain it in a simple way, a framework describes in detail as to how all the functions in E-commerce takes place.

ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF E-COMMERCE FRAMEWORK:

1. Network Infrastructure:

Also known as Information Superhighway. Network Infrastructure is the pathway between the sender of information and its receiver. It comprises of all the telecom companies that provide phone line, cable and direct broadcast sate9llite networks provided by Cable TV, as well as satellite and mobile network providing wireless companies. Network Infrastructure also includes private as well as public network like intranet and internet.

All the above are interconnected using routers, gateways etc. in order to connect similar and different network. The information reaches its destination by flowing through the above line and devices.

2. Multimedia Contents and Network Publishing:

The Information Superhighway is the basic and extensive path that enables the flow of information. The most widespread and frequent framework that facilitates network publishing is the World Wide Web. The Web enables development of content in form of HTML (Hypertext Mark-up Language) and its publication on web server. Web provides means to create information about a product (the content) and also to

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broadcast it at distribution centre (network server). This enables various kinds of business and non-business activities to provide information and promote themselves.

3. Messaging and Information Distribution Infrastructure:

The content of information that flows through network consists of different kinds of format, namely- text, audio, video, picture, and numbers. One of the limitations in this regard is, that, the network cannot differentiate between these formats as everything is binary i.e. in form of 0s and 1s. Once the data is created and stored, messaging and information distribution methods carry the data across. The software that enables this is called middleware software and it comprises of translators to interpret and transform data formats.

4. Common Business Services Infrastructure:

This component of framework comprises of the various ways to facilitate online buying and selling processes. In online Commerce, the buyer pays through electronic mode. Settlement takes place when the payment and buyer information is verified by the seller and accepted as valid. It is necessary to make the online payment method safe, and in order to do so, the service infrastructure should make content indecipherable except for the desirable recipient, It must also make sure that the buyer are who they say they are .

5. Public Policy and Technical Standards:

Public policy and Technical Starts are two of the most imperative components of e-commerce framework. The former comprises matters like access, privacy and information pricing. Whereas, the later comprises of detailed information regarding tools for publication, user interface and transport. They are necessary to make sure that the whole network is working in tandem.

The above mentioned are the main components of E-commerce Framework. By using them business can be done efficiently on the network. Some of examples where this framework is applied are:

Banking from home

Online shopping sites (flipkart, myntra etc)

Video on Demand

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ISSUES INVOLVED IN E-COMMERCE

FINANCIAL ISSUES

1. Electronic payment systems 2. Fund transfer 3. Customs 4. Taxation

LEGAL ISSUES

1. Privacy 2. Intellectual property protection 3. Security, integrity 4. Dispute resolution and jurisdiction

MARKET RELATED ISSUES

1. Market Development Stage 2. Competition 3. Customer orientation 4. Trust and reliability.

ETHICAL ISSUES

1. Web tracking:

There are softwares with the help of which companies track the users as the tracking history is stored on PC hard drive.

2. Loss of jobs: Ecommerce may result in loss of jobs for the employees, agents and brokers.this raises the issue of retraining and displacement.

3. Disintermediation and reintermediation: elimination of intermediaries is called disintermediation. Eg. Travel agents are removed when tickets are directly sold by airlines.

Reintermediation: brokers who provide the second type of service or who manages electronic intermediation are called infomediation. They actually benefit from this phenomenon.

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ISSUES

1. Lifestyle 2. Purchase potential 3. Socio and religious dynamics

4. Attitude towards economic appeal.

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BENEFITS TO CONSUMERS

1. VARIETY OF CHOICES:

There are various providers in the market which sometimes confuses the customers. Having the option of opening various websites altogether helps us to compare various options and make the smart choice. The consumer can buy what he wants by having a look at an extensive number of options.

2. REDUCTION IN COSTS:

The financial transactions that take place on purchasing a product will become online and paperless. This will reduce the cost and make ecommerce payments a lot cheaper.

3. INFORMED DECISION:

As the consumers have a variety of choices available to them they can make an informed choice at a competitive price and this gives them more confidence in purchasing the product.

4. EXTENSIVE INFORMATION:

As the consumer has a lot of knowledge on the product it leads to customer satisfaction as the consumer now has all the information on how to utilize the product.

5. FAST DELIVERY:

Sometimes consumers may need a product early. In this case fast delivery of the products will help them because if they have to wait for a long time they may consider using a competitor's product.

6. SAVING TIME:

One of the biggest pro's of e-commerce and online shopping is the reduction of standing in queues.

7. A NUMBER OF DISCOUNT AND COUPONS AVAILABLE:

There is a huge provision for a number of discounts and coupons on a number of items that are sold online. This is of great benefit to the customer.

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BENEFITS TO ORGANISATIONS THAT USE E-COMMERCE WITH THEIR BUSINESS PARTNERS

MANUFACTURERS AND SERVICE COMPANIES

1. Firstly it minimizes supply chain inefficiencies that take place. It helps in reduction of inventories as large amounts of inventories and expensive showrooms are not required, delivery in delaying product, and enables efficient e-procurement.

2. There is no need to set up a business, and this helps in reduction of costs as no brick and mortar business environment and premise needs to be set up.

3. It helps in building strong relationship with suppliers. This includes streamlining and

automating the underlying business process, which enables areas such as - direct marketing, selling, customer services, fulfillment, procurement, and replenishment and information management.

BENEFITS TO SOCIETY

1. There are a number of individuals that can work offsite. This helps in reduction of human resources costs as it leads to smaller offices and reduction in other overhead costs.

2. It facilitates the delivery and facilitation of public services, such as electricity and water bills.

LIMITATIONS OF E- COMMERCE

1. There maybe limitations as to which businesses can be suitable for e-commerce or not. This maybe due to the fact that there is a possibility that there are items which are highly perishable or high in cost.

2. There is some difficulty regarding calculating the return on cost. This can be due to the fact that there is a high discount rate on items sold online.

3. There is a need for employees having skills with technological, design and business process skills, but there is some trouble recruiting and retaining such employees as there is a lack of such technical skills present in the employees.

4. There is a huge barrier regarding the cultural and legal obstacles while conducting e-commerce.

5. There is also difficulty in integrating existing databases and transaction software that have been originally designed for the traditional commerce outlay.

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6. Due to the ease in setting up the e-commerce firms, there maybe a number of sites that open up that are fake and may dupe customers of their money, so the sites and payment gateways are always prone to attack.

7. There is always the hesitation of the kind of quality that is being provided. Also, the customer cannot feel or experience the product before purchasing it.

8. Technical issues can also lead to the failure of transactions or whole process entirely.

9. There is always a need for internet connection while taking part in e-commerce.

FUTURE OF ECOMMERCE

A CHANGE IN SCENARIO

E-commerce will in the future change how people look and perceive and will lead to a change in how people buy products. It will help in transforming the retail process as a whole.

PERSONALIZATION WILL BE A BIG PART OF E-COMMERCE MOVING FORWARD

Most experts have the belief that growth in the fashion industry will account for one-third of the growth in all of e-commerce. The way fashion has been promoted today consists of heavy advertising and major focus on sales and celebrity endorsing the brands. But the e-commerce structure works in such a way that the sales and the revenue shall be based on how well the products are differentiated from each other. There is also the renowned focus on having direct contact and relationship with the customer.

MOBILE COMMERCE

E-commerce growth shall now majorly rely on the way the path is waved for Mobile commerce. Most of the e-commerce experts are predicting that mobile commerce shall lead to giving a global perspective to the success of e-commerce. It is being said that most of the business decisions should be made by keeping in mind the mobile culture and how the site will look on the mobile screen, thus making it suitable and attractive for customers. This will help in giving the e-commerce site a broader perspective an global exposure as any customer shall be able to open the website anywhere at any- time at their own convenience.

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E-commerce can use the internet for heavy marketing opportunities to publicize the website. There is blogging, videos, social profiles, mobile applications, digital downloads for free, newsletters, promotional emails and advertisements, Google + hangouts, and various other methods.

Fig 2: E-Commerce traffic during Black Friday deals

THE ROLE OF NEAR FIELD COMMUNICATION

The term- Near Field Communication (NFC) is being considered as a major factor in the growth of e-commerce. It basically means that it can be a major contributor in improving the brand experience for consumers. For example, NFC technologies such as Google Wallet, enables the consumers to perform things like tapping their phone with their credit card, provide payment information, receive and exchange coupons and many other perks.

NFC has the required infrastructure that is relevant, along with necessary security protocols that are required to take e-commerce to the next level.

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E- COMMERCE SHOULD INVOLVE CREATING EXPERIENCE

E-commerce retailers are developing various new tactics and methods to create new experiences for the customers so that they can grow their new customer base and retain their old customers.

There is also huge competition amongst retailers to sell their products. This leads to new and creative ideas coming up which helps in the marketing of the website.

PERSONALIZED EXPERIENCE

Various applications are there in the market that act as a help to us in our daily life. Various examples include the spotify application, applications that track our travel schedules and flight details, running applications that set the music according to the mood and pace at which you are running, applications that take care of your card details such as the Google app push. All these applications have been custom made to understand the need and wants of the customers and the habits and daily routines that the customers have. They have also been made in such a way that they push relevant suggestions our way.

CUSTOMER CARE PLAYS AN ESSENTIAL ROLE

The future of e-commerce also holds one major issue. This is that of the lack of customer care. All the e-commerce websites are not customer supportive, i.e businesses would perform better if they would have a dedicated staff just for the customers and the grievances that they face while purchasing or after purchase also. This in turn would also help in retaining customers for longer periods of time.

PRODUCT DISCOVERY WEB-SITES AND RECOMMENDATION PAGES AND ENGINES

While keeping in mind the growth factor, e-commerce sites should take the time and effort to have a guide opened up, or various websites that could have a number of recommendations for guiding the customers on what their preferences are. This could be a catalogue or a brochure or any kind of materials having the option of customized products. This helps in narrowing down the decision making process.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-commerce

2. www.investopedia.com/terms/e/ecommerce.asp

3. www.ecommercetimes.com/

4. www.ecommerce.com

5. www.theguardian.com/technology/efinance

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