Interview on Ebay.

I interviewed my dad on Ebay, to gather his views on the features and how he finds using the site generally.

Do you use Ebay often? State roughly how often.
Yes, fairly often. A few times a month.

Do you buy or sell often?
Mainly buy, but I have sold in the past yes.

Is the process of Buying/Selling easy?
Buying: yes, it is easy after a few times.
Selling: reasonably easy, but a little complex as photos need uploading etc.

Generally how would you rate the site out of 10? Considering how easy it is to use etc.
8/9

Do you choose to have your User ID and Password 'remembered' on you PC/Laptop?
Yes, but sometimes not the password.

If so is it more convenient?
Yes as it is difficult to remember the password as i use many sites needing passwords.

Do you find Myebay easy to use/sort/edit properties of etc?
I find it difficult to understand how to edit Myebay to suit my needs, perhaps ebay could provide a help option or when starting up an account explain how it works and how to edit the settings etc. I would be able to work it out eventually but for me being quite a technical computer guy I do not understand fully how to use Myebay to its full potential.

Do you have a phone with the ebay app? If so what do you think of it, e.g. easy to use, convenient when out etc?
No i havent but I'm considering getting the app on my phone as i have heard many good reviews and it is said to be useful when out, but can be slow due to the wireless coverage speeds.

Do you normally search and scroll through the list of products until you find the specific product or use the category tool?
Type, search and sort. Then filter out the international sellers due to postage times and costs and filter out long duration auctions.

Would you consider using the category area as it is known to save time?
Perhaps in the future, yes.

Do you have any other views on how the website works or know of any other features on the site that attract you to use their site more?
One negative view from a seller's point of view it that I feel the option to give negative feedback should be allowed as it used to be before Ebay changed a few years ago.
Paypal (online way of paying) and its associated guarantee has become widely used and accepted and gives the buyer and seller some piece of mind, it enables the amount being paid to be sent and received very quickly which is a huge benefit allowing the seller to send the item sooner than if a cheque was sent in the post.
A good feature of the website is that it has a memory for when typing in the search box for a specific item. Whenever that particular item comes up for sale in the future, Ebay will automatically e-mail you to show that one is for sale. 

Coursework A - E-commerce / Online business continued

Tesco online has many useful features that help the customer in many ways.

The first feature that is useful is the 'favourites' section. This is where you can select your favourite groceries you will almost always buy and the site remembers them for next time rather than searching through all the products every time you order online. This saves time for the future and can be a lot of help if you need to quickly order them and attend to another task.

Tesco's 'Favourites'

http://www.tellyads.com/show_movie.php?filename=TA9490

Another feature on the website is the store locator. By simply typing in your postcode into the search box the site will quickly find the nearest stores to you and display them on a map of the area. This feature is helpful as it saves times searching through the internet.

The store locator search box.

The map showing the nearest stores in the area in which you live. Along the side you can select what type of store you are looking for. e.g. one with a petrol station, in-store bank or one with a clothes department.



You can click and drag around on the map to find a Tesco close to you. The numbers on the map represent a store, if hovered over they tell you the store name and how far away the store is from where you live as seen below:

Tesco online also promotes their 'app'. This 'app' can be downloaded to your phone and is a convenient way to order grocies without computer access but internet is needed.

The 'app' being shown on the website.

The app's different views shown on a phone.

Coursework A - E-commerce / Online business continued 12/09/10

"Online business 'soaring in UK'"


Online business is booming in the UK, according to a new retail report.
Market analysts Verdict found the internet was the fastest growing retail sector last year, attracting one in four shoppers.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4281927.stm


"Online shopping 'defies slowdown'"
Online retailing is continuing to boom in the UK despite pessimism about the economy, according to a survey. The amount of money spent by consumers shopping online increased by 35% to £14.7bn last year, retail analysts Verdict Research said.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7432643.stm


"Online Shopping Boomed This Holiday Season"
Holiday Shopping online increased 25 percent this year as bargain hunters often opted for virtual malls instead of fighting crowds at traditional brick and mortar outlets, according to a survey.


http://www.internetnews.com/xSP/article.php/3453931/Online-Shopping-Boomed-This-Holiday-Season.htm






I have chosen to explain the features and compare the service of:
www.ebay.co.uk
and
www.tesco.com

Ebay is an online auctioning and selling site. Users can sell or buy items from other users or ebay 'shops'. Buying from an ebay shop is almost instant you buy, pay and get sent the item, this is different to how bidding works- this process involves, bidding, winning, paying and getting sent the item, it is different to an ebay shop as you instantly buy the item on the 'shop' and it is sent just like any other online shopping site, this part of this website is the 'e-commerce'.

As soon as you are on the ebay website the sign in and register buttons appear. This makes getting onto your individual account much quicker. Once you have clicked onto 'sign in' it takes you to a different page where your account name is remembered and then only the password is needed to be entered, this saves time and can be useful incase you forget your name. If you click on the 'register' button it quickly takes you through a few simple steps that allow you to access the site in a whole different way. It becomes much easier to buy items from the site and even allows you to have your own 'my ebay' page where all the items you are selling, buying or considering to buy ('watching') are logged. Below shows screenshots of the 'register' and 'sign in' buttons. I have also included a screen shot of the sign in page where my username has been remembered.

By choosing to tick the box it allows ebay to keep your username remembered, thus saving time and effort in the future. It can be extremly helpful.

As i said above. By becoming a member of the site, it allows you to have your own account named 'Myebay' this then shows all the items that are to do with you, whether its if you're buying them, selling or 'watching'. Under each section it logs the item, along with the picture of the product, the current winning price and the current winning bidder. On 'myEbay' it also shows any messages you have sent or recieved. Along the side shows the total of all the items you've purchase and sold, along with what ones have been paid for and what havent and the total of what needs to be paid etc. This makes it easier to work out if any users need to be messaged to ask them to pay or to see if you have actually paid for all the items you won, this saves you working out the amounts to be paid, or the amount you will recieve from the items you sold which would take up a lot of your time. Below are screenshots of my 'myEbay' account along with the 'totals' section shown.

Ebay has also made an 'app' for many phones to download. This is a quick way to access your account via your phone. It can be very convienient as at times there may be no computer around to use, so using your phone can be another option, so you can quickly bid for an item or check how your items are selling although internet is needed to access the 'app'. The 'app' is easy to use and shows the bare essential parts of the website that are needed. The 'app' is also free which makes using the website even more worthwhile. Below I have shown what the 'app' looks like on the phone's screen and the advertisement of the app on the ebay website.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koRMbZu0f4Q&feature=related

 
 
  Ebay also displays many catergories that may interest you on the main page and on a drop down list along the top of the page. These are listed in alphabetical order-saving time by making it easier to find a certain catergory. By easily clicking on a catergory you can quickly and easily find the item you are looking for, instead of searching and scrolling through millions of items that may be irrelevant to what you're actually looking for. By using the categories area it can save a lot of time and is a much faster way of finding a specific item. Below I have shown just some of the many categories shown on the website.

 
 

Coursework A - E-commerce / Online business 10/09/10 11.42am

Online Business

As the number of household's purchasing a form of computer is increasing, as is the number of people who choose to use online services. Many things can be performed online now, from banking, to buying clothes. As the number of people using the internet is increasing many people have chosen to do internet marketing. 

Definition:
An online business is one where all marketing and selling of products or services are performed through the Internet.


Advantages of Online Business

• It can be alot cheaper compared to buying a bit of land and building up a business from scatch.
• It can be set up anywhere.
• Staff costs are most likely to be lower.
• It saves travel and transport costs.
• It is open 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week. Your customers are worldwide in reach, and can use the online service anytime that they want to.

Disadvantages of Online Business

• It is easy for someone to set up a website and compete with you.
• Businesses can easily be copied.
• Staff may need training to get a grasp of the knowledge and skills needed to work online.
• The internet could crash when you havent saved any work you were doing online or was in the middle of updating something.
• Online marketing is not free. The cost of software, hardware, website design, maintenance of your site, online distribution costs and of course, time, all must be factored into the cost of providing your service or product.
• Easier to have outdated information on your site, so the timing of updates is critical.
• If the site is secure the customer should know this, as it makes them feel more secure when buying from the site. If the user does not feel secure they will not want to use their credit card to make a purchase which is needed when purchasing the item. The fear of having their credit card information stolen is a clear and present danger in the minds of the customers.
  
   

Bibliography
http://www.webbrander.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-online-business/
http://ezinearticles.com/?Internet-Marketing---Advantages-and-Disadvantages&id=65052