Online shopping is a form of e-commerce that allows consumers to directly buy goods or services from a seller through the Internet using a web browser. Consumers find a product of interest by visiting the retailer's website directly or by searching from alternative suppliers using a store search engine, which shows the same availability of products and prices at different electronic retailers. Starting in 2016, customers can shop online using a variety of different computers and devices, including desktop computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones.
An online store evokes the physical analogy of buying products or services in a typical "bricks and mortar" retail or mall; The process is called business to consumer (B2C) online shopping. When an online store is set up to allow businesses to buy from other companies, the process is called business to business (B2B) shopping online. A typical online store allows the customer to browse the range of products and services of the company, view photos or images of the products, along with information on product specifications, features and prices.
Online stores often allow shoppers to use "search" features to find specific models, brands, or items. Online customers must have access to the Internet and a valid payment method to complete a transaction, such as a credit card, an Interac-enabled debit card, or a service such as PayPal. For physical products (eg, paperbacks or clothing), the electronic vendor sends the products to the customer; For digital products, such as digital audio files of songs or software, the e-tailer normally sends the file to the client via the Internet. The largest of these online retail companies are Alibaba, Amazon.com and eBay.
The alternative names of the activity are "e-tailing," an abbreviated form of "e-retail" or "e-shopping," an abbreviated form of "e-shopping." An online store can also be called an e-store, e-store, e-store, internet store, online store, web store, online store, e-store and e-store. Mobile commerce (or m-commerce) describes the purchase of a website optimized for mobile devices or software application ("application") from an online retailer. These websites or applications are designed to allow customers to browse through the products and services of a company on tablets and smartphones.
History of Online Shopping
The growth of the Internet as a secure shopping channel has developed since 1994, with the first sales of Sting's 'Ten Tales from Summoner' album. Wine, chocolates and flowers soon followed and were among the pioneering retail categories that fueled the growth of online shopping. Researchers found that having products that are appropriate for e-commerce was a key indicator of Internet success. Many of these products did well as are generic products that buyers do not need to touch and feel to buy. But also important in the early days there were few buyers online and they were from a narrow segment: affluent, man, 30+. Online purchases have come along the way since these early days and - in the UK - accounts for significant percentages (depending on the category of the product as the percentages may vary).
