Project report on consumer perception towards online shopping

A Project Report On

“CONSUMER PERCEPTION TOWARDS ONLINE SHOPPING” A project report submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the award of Degree In MASTER OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT To XYZ UNIVERSITY

1

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I am grateful to our respected beloved Principal Dr. XYZ, City College, Bangalore to permitting me to do this project and I express my thanks to Mrs. XYZ..N, HOD, Department of Management & Commerce, for her valuable support and guidance to complete my project in proper way.

I wish to take this opportunity to express my deep sense of gratitude to my guide.Prof. XYZ, I would like to convey my regards to our lecturers for their co-operation and best guidance in carrying out the project work successfully.

It is my foremost duty to thank all my respondents who helped me to complete my fieldwork, which this project would have been possible.

Last but not the least I Owe my greatest regards to my parents for their blessing and who has always been a source of inspiration in shaping my career.

Date: Place: Bangalore

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XYZ Reg. No:

CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL

This is to certify that the project report titled A study on

“Consumer Perception toward online shopping” Submitted by XYZ Reg No. 123 Is acceptable in quality and form

Dr.M. Mrs. XYZ PRINCIPAL

H.O.D.

External Examiner Signature: Name: Date:

3

STUDENT DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this project report titled “CONSUMER PERCEPTION TOWARD ONLINE SHOPPING” Submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for the award of degree in

BACHELOR OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT TO BANGALORE UNIVERSITY

Is the original work and has not been submitted for the award of any other Degree/Diploma/fellowship or other similar titles

Place:

XYZ

Date:

RegNo:

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GUIDES DECLARATION

This is to certify that report titled

“Consumer perception toward online shopping”

Submitted in partial fulfillment for the award of degree in BACHELOR OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT TO BANGALORE UNIVERSITY Is a Record of Bona fide Research work carried out by XYZ RegNo: 123 Under my guidance and no part has been submitted for the award of any Degree/fellowship or similar titles or prizes and that the work has not been published in any scientific or popular magazines.

Project Guide: Prof. AMBUJ JAIN, Signature:

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CONTENTS CHAPTER NO.

CONTENTS

PAGE NO.

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1-17

CHAPTER 2

RESEARCH DESIGN

18-24

CHAPTER 3

INDUSTRY PROFILE

25-49

CHAPTER 4

ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

50-86

CHAPTER 5

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, SUGGESTIONS

86-91

AND CONCLUSION

ANNEXURE •

QUESTIONNAIRE

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Page 6

LIST OF TABLE TABLE No. 1 2

LIST OF TABLE

PAGE NO

SEGMENTATION OF THE RESPONDENTS BASED

50

ON AGE GROUP SEGMENTATIONS OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON

52

EDUCATION 3

SEGMENTATION OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON

54

4

OCCUPATION PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS SHOWING 1) PC

56

HOLDER AND 2) INTERNET CONNECTION 5

PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS WOULD PREFER

58

PURCHASE ONLINE 6

PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON PURPOSE OF

60

SURFING 7

PERCENTAGE OF NO OF RESPONDENTS PURCHASED

62

ONLINE 8

PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON PREFERENCE

64

TOWARDS FAVORITE ONLINE SHOPPING STORE 9

PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON

66

CONSUMER( PREFER SHOPPING) PREFERENCE TOWARDS ONLINE SHOPPING 10

PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON CONSUMER

68

7

PREFERENCE TOWARDS ONLINE PRODUCTS 11

PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON CUSTOMERS

71

OPINION ABOUT SERVICES 12

PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON

73

CONSUMER OPINION ABOUT RANGE OF AVAILABLE PRODUCT 13

PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON

75

CUSTOMERS OPINION ABOUT PRICING. 14

PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON

77

CUSTOMERS OPINION ABOUT AWARE ELECTRONIC GOODS SHOPPING 15

PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON

79

CUSTOMERS OPINION ABOUT MODE OF PAYMENT 16

PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON

81

CUSTOMERS OPINION ABOUT 17

ATTRACTIONS IN ONLINE SHOPPING. SEGMENTATION OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON THEIR AWARENESS ABOUT AMAZON AND EBAY.COM

Page 8

84

LIST OF GRAPH Graph No.

List of Graph

1

SEGMENTATION OF THE RESPONDENTS BASED ON

2

AGE GROUP SEGMENTATIONS OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON EDUCATION 53

3

SEGMENTATION OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON

55

4

OCCUPATION TABLE SHOWING PC HOLDER AND INTERNET CONNECTION

57

5

PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS WOULD PREFER

59

Page No. 51

PURCHASE ONLINE 6

PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON PURPOSE OF

61

SURFING 7

PERCENTAGE OF NO OF RESPONDENTS PURCHASED ONLINE 63

8

PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON PREFERENCE

65

TOWARDS FAVORITE ONLINE SHOPPING STORE 9

PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON

67

CONSUMER( PREFER SHOPPING) PREFERENCE TOWARDS ONLINE SHOPPING 10

PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON CONSUMER

70

PREFERENCE TOWARDS ONLINE PRODUCTS 11

PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON CUSTOMERS

72

OPINION ABOUT SERVICES

9

12

PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON

74

CONSUMER OPINION ABOUT RANGE OF AVAILABLE PRODUCT 13

PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON

76

CUSTOMERS OPINION ABOUT PRICING. 14

PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON

78

CUSTOMERS OPINION ABOUT AWARE ELECTRONIC GOODS SHOPPING 15

PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON

80

CUSTOMERS OPINION ABOUT MODE OF PAYMENT 16

PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON

83

CUSTOMERS OPINION ABOUT 17

ATTRACTIONS IN ONLINE SHOPPING. SEGMENTATION OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON THEIR AWARENESS ABOUT AMAZON AND EBAY.COM

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“CONSUMER PERCEPTION TOWARD ONLINE SHOPPING”

Summary The development of the marketing is an evolution. The evolution could be traced right back to the days of ancient civilizations. The exchange of ideas in the form of communication, the barter system, the introduction of currency, the production orientation, the sale orientations are the various stages or layer in the sedimentary formation of marketing.

Emphasized the need for a transcontinental media. This intern lead to a new revolution called the Internet or also known as information superhighway in the frontiers of information technology called computers. Marketing as a phenomenon adopted Internet and combination of marketing and Internet has thus given birth to the formation of “Universal consumer”. The Internet revolution affected the way people shop, do businesses, gather information, meet people and study has become a ubiquitous phenomenon. The Internet has been growing at promising rate, astonishing the loyalties of traditional marketing system. Consumer preference has been elevated to new heights because of the variety of goods or service that are presented to them by the Internet.

The most exciting development of the Internet has been slick with the easy to navigate surface called the World Wide Web. Today marketers are in the midst of a greater shift in the way business is conducted.

Earlier, the print media was used to provide information for the marketing various products or services.

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But of later, the world has become smaller because everyone is in a race to teach information first, which has also affected the global market, the result being that the print media has to market itself.

The World Wide Web sites have contributed to today’s competitive market to a greater extent by providing quality information about the companies, competitors, dealers, customer’s etc. The glitzy multimedia on the websites is a sure-fire way to hold the customer’s attention and can deliver greater value to the customer’s and also helps to gain an edge over competitors.

This project aims to study “The customer perception towards the online shopping”. This study is going to help us to find out what the customer’s perceive which is not available on the online store, what they don’t want from the store and to measure the level of satisfaction which is going to be very vital for the future of the store.

It is also going to look at the usage of Internet facilities and the customer’s attitude towards them.

Introduction Of Online Shopping The act of purchasing products or services over the Internet.

Online shopping has grown in popularity over the years, mainly because people find it convenient and easy to bargain shop from the comfort of their home or office. One of the most enticing factor about online shopping, particularly during a holiday season, is it alleviates the need to wait in long lines or search from store to store for a particular item.

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

An online shop, e-shop, e-store, internet shop, web shop, web store, online store, or virtual store evokes the physical analogy of buying products or services at a bricks-and-mortar retailer or in a shopping mall.

Internet shopping is shaping up. However today, internet shopping is a really significant part of the retail sector. Internet shopping is the new shopping experience of the future. Of course the other major hurdle for internet shopping is shipping charges, sometimes they are to expensive.

The growth rate for Internet shopping is growing.

Secure internet shopping is secure using encryption and ssl techniques. Internet shopping is easier, safer, and more convenient than at any point in its history. Internet shopping is fast becoming one of the easiest ways to buy almost anything you want. Internet shopping is a way of shopping that allows shopping for required products without going to the store physically. The Internet is great because people are able to shop 24 hours a day without having to leave their home or work.

The Internet is changing the wholesale/retail landscape daily. In today’s market the shopping sector is taking about a tenth of all retail shopping sales in the US, and the percentage in other countries is not as high. One reason we use the internet is to buy merchandise at a discount to retail.

One of the biggest benefits of shopping online is the convenience and access to more products and information 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Note that blocking all cookies prevents some online services from working, so you must allow cookies on your browser. Nearly 40 percent 13

of remote workers said they use their work computers for Internet shopping. Be a smart shopper and use common sense when online shopping and just go ahead and enjoy your Internet shopping experience today.

The more people that shop online, the bigger their expectations.

The supermarket industry now services many customers through online food shopping over the Internet. We understand that shopping online can feel risky and uncertain.

The following tips will help ensure a safe Internet shopping. If you follow this advice on safe Internet shopping, this should not be a problem. All purchases are made through safe and secure servers. It's safe to say SSL is extremely sophisticated software and safe. Always know where your cards are and keep them in a safe place.

Chris O’Neill and David Marc Fishman are the owners of priceriot.com. Priceriot is a new online auction where prices drop as people shop for computers.

The last ten years have been a wild time on the Internet, especially when it comes to online shopping. The e-commerce industry has seen rapid growth, a shake out of the market due to security concerns, and finally, a rebirth thanks to new technologies and innovative ways to shop.

Online shopping is a type of electronic commerce used for business-to-business (B2B)and business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions.

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Theoretical Background As the twenty first century is fast approaching, marketing is becoming more attractive at the company, state, national and international levels. Many organizations have involved in developing marketing activities to satisfy the needs and wants of a group of customers

Definition: According to Philip Kotler “Marketing is human activity directed at satisfying needs and wants through exchange process�.

The Market The concept of market is very important in marketing. The American Marketing Association defines a market as the aggregate demand of the potential buyers for a product or services.

P. Kotler defines a market as an area for potential exchanges. Thus a market is a group of buyers and sellers interested in negotiating the terms of purchase or sale of goods or services.

Marketing: Marketing is concerned with handling and transportation of goods from the point of production to the point of consumption.

The American Marketing Association defines marketing as the performance of business activities that direct the flow of goods and services from producer to consumer.

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IMPORTANCE OF MARKETING •

Marketing is recognized as the most significant activity in our society. Our life styles are continuously affected by a wide range of marketing activities. Marketing alone can put goods and services we want and need at our doorsteps.

•

Marketing has achieved social importance because it is entrusted with the task of creation and delivery of standard of living to society.

•

Marketing is the vital connecting link between producers and consumers. Marketing is directly responsible to maintain the equilibrium

between

mass

production

and

mass

consumption.

•

Marketing system plays a unique role in transforming the benefits

of mass production in terms of rising living

standards and life styles of all people through the best system of physical distribution.

Market Potentiality: It represents both realized and unrealized total “capacity of buy” existing in the market or segment of a market the calculation includes all the goods/services offered by all the sellers competing the particular market and the specific period of time to understand the concept of

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market potential. It is better to know about sales potential and market share.

Before examining the planning and analytical work involved in setting sales volume objectives it is important to define three terms:



Market Potential.



Sales Potential.



Sales Forecast.

Market potential: According to philip kotler:

“Greater marketing expenditures would yield higher level of demand, first at increasing rate, and then at decreasing rate. Marketing efforts above a certain level would not cause much more demand this upper limit of market demand is called market potential”

Market potential mainly divided into 2 groups: Total Market Potential Area Market Potential

Total Market Potential Total Market Potential is the maximum amount of sales that might be available to all the firms in an industry during a given time 17

period under a given time period level of industry marketing effort and given environment conditions.

Methods of calculating total market potential: Q=N * Q * P Here, Q =

Total Market Potential

N =

N, number of buyers in the specific market under the

Given assumptions Q =

Quantity purchased by an average buyer

P

Price of an average unit

=

Area Market Potential Area market potential refers to maximum amount of sales that might be available in some specific area i.e., cities, and states during a method for calculating area potential.

Customers Page 18

In general, shopping has always catered to middle class and upper class women. Shopping is fragmented and pyramid-shaped. At the pinnacle are elegant boutiques for the affluent; a huge belt of inelegant but ruthlessly efficient “discounters” flog plenty at the pyramid’s precarious middle. According to the analysis of Susan D. Davis, at its base are the world’s workers and poor, on whose cheapened labor the rest of the pyramid depends for its incredible abundance.

Shopping has

evolved from single stores to large malls containing many stores that most often offer attentive service, store credit, delivery, and acceptance of returns. These new additions to shopping have encouraged and targeted middle class women.

In recent years, online shopping has become popular; however, it still caters to the middle and upper class. In order to shop online, one must be able to have access to a computer, a bank account and a debit card. Shopping has evolved with the growth of technology. According to research found in the Journal of Electronic Commerce, if we focus on the demographic characteristics of the in-home shopper, in general, the higher the level of education, income, and occupation of the head of the household, the more favourable the perception of non-store shopping. [4] An influential factor in consumer attitude towards non-store shopping is exposure to technology, since it has been demonstrated that increased exposure to technology increases the probability of developing favourable attitudes towards new shopping channels.

Online shopping widened the target audience to men and women of the middle class. At first, the main users of online shopping were young men with a high level of income and a university education. This profile is changing. For example, in USA in the early years of Internet there were very few women users, but by 2001 women were 52.8% of the online 19

population

Sociocultural pressure has made men generally more

independent in their purchase decisions, while women place greater value on personal contact and social relations.

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Customer Satisfaction Customer satisfaction depends perceived performance n delivering value to buyer’s expectations. If the product performance falls short of the customer’s expectations, the buyer is dissatisfied. If performance matches expectations, the buyer is satisfied. If performance exceeds expectations, the customers are delighted. Outstanding marketing companies go out of their way to keep their customers satisfied. Satisfied customers make repeat purchases and they tell others about their good experiences with the product the key is to match customer expectations with company performance. Smart companies aim to delight customers by promising only what they can deliver, then delivering that they promise.

Customer’s expectations are based on past buying experiences, the option of the friends and marketer and competitor and promises.

Marketers must be careful to set the right level of experience. If they set expectations too low, they may satisfy those who buy but fail to attract enough buyers. If they raise expectations too high, buyers will be disappointed.

The American customer satisfaction index, which tracks customer satisfaction, is more than two dozen U.S manufacturing and service industries shows that overall customer satisfaction has been declining slightly in recent years. It is unclear whether this has resulted from a decrease in product and served quality or from an increase in the customer expectations. In either case, it presents and opportunity for companies that can deliver superior customer value and satisfaction.

Today’s most successful companies are rising exception and delivering performance to match. These companies embrace total 21

customer satisfaction. They aim high because they know merely satisfied will find it easy to switch suppliers when better offer comes along. For example, one study showed that completely satisfied customers are nearly 42 percent more likely to be loyal than merely satisfied customers.

Another study by AT & T showed that 70 percent of customers who say they are satisfied with a product or service are much more loyal. Xerox found that its totally satisfied customers are six times more likely to repurchase Xerox products over the next 18 months than its satisfied customers. Customer delight creates an emotional affinity for a product or service, not just a rational preference and this customer’s loyalty. Highly satisfied customers are fewer prices sensitive remain customer longer and talk favorable to others about the company and its products.

Although the customers firm seeks to delivery customers satisfied relative to competitors it does not attempt to maximize customer’s satisfaction. A company can always increase customer’s satisfaction by lowering its price or increasing its services, but this may result in lower profits. Thus the purpose of marketing is to generate customer’s value profitably. This requires a very delicate balance. The marketer must continue to generate more customer’s value and satisfaction but not give away the house.

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Consumer Perception Consumer behavior is one of the topics that marketer uses to better understanding of consumer on how their behavior react when come to buying decisions. Perception is how one view under the influence of past experience, personal opinion.

Consumer perception: A motive is a drive which activates behaviors in order to satisfy that around need, i.e., the motive, motivation provides a basic influence upon buyer, while perception is operationally critical. A motive creates disposition to act. Perception triggers or causes the behavior in a certain way. Perception is the meaning we give. On the basis of our post experience to perceive is to see, to hear, to touch to tats, to smell and to sense something or event or relation and to organize, interpret and find meaning in the experience. For example, the average CONSUMER may be exposed to 1,500 ads during a normal day, but he consciously perceive only about 75 of them and perhaps 12 of these could be related to his subsequent behavior.

This consumer perception towards a product is what a consumer wants from his product and what actually forces or drives him to go for a product or a service.

In general, shopping has always catered to middle class and upper class women. Shopping is fragmented and pyramid-shaped. At the pinnacle are elegant boutiques for the affluent; a huge belt of inelegant but ruthlessly efficient “discounters” flog plenty at the pyramid’s precarious middle. According to the analysis of Susan D. Davis, at its base are the world’s workers and poor, on whose cheapened labor the rest of the pyramid depends for its incredible abundance. Shopping has 23

evolved from single stores to large malls containing many stores that most often offer attentive service, store credit, delivery, and acceptance of returns. These new additions to shopping have encouraged and targeted middle class women.

In recent years, online shopping has become popular; however, it still caters to the middle and upper class. In order to shop online, one must be able to have access to a computer, a bank account and a debit card. Shopping has evolved with the growth of technology.

According to research found in the Journal of Electronic Commerce, if we focus on the demographic characteristics of the in-home shopper, in general, the higher the level of education, income, and occupation of the head of the household, the more favorable the perception of non-store shopping. An influential factor in consumer attitude towards non-store shopping is exposure to technology, since it has been demonstrated that increased exposure to technology increases the probability of developing favorable attitudes towards new shopping channels.

Online shopping widened the target audience to men and women of the middle class. At first, the main users of online shopping were young men with a high level of income and a university education. This profile is changing. For example, in India in the early years of Internet there were very few women users, but by 2008 52.8% of women were using the internet.

The online population. Sociocultural pressure has made men generally more independent in their purchase decisions, while women place greater value on personal contact and social relations.

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Consumer Expectations The main idea of online shopping is not in having a good looking website that could be listed in a lot of search engines and it is not about the art behind the site.

It also is not only just about disseminating

information, because it is all about building relationships and making money.

Mostly, organizations try to adopt techniques of online shopping without understanding these techniques and/or without a sound business model. Rather than supporting the organization’s culture and brand name, the website should satisfy consumer's expectations. Many researchers notify that the uniqueness of the web has dissolved and the need for the design, which will be user centered, is very important. Companies should always remember that there are certain things, such as understanding the customer’s wants and needs, living up to promises, never go out of style, because they give reason to come back. And the reason will stay if consumers always get what they expect. McDonaldization theory can be used in terms of online shopping, because online shopping is becoming more and more popular and website that wants to gain more shoppers will use four major principles of McDonaldization: efficiency, calculability, predictability and control. Organizations, which want people to shop more online for them, should consume extensive amounts of time and money to define, design, develop, test, implement, and maintain website.

Also if company wants their website to be popular among online shoppers it should leave the user with a positive impression about the organization, so consumers can get an impression that the company cares about them.

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The organization that wants to be acceptable in online shopping needs to remember, that it is easier to lose a CONSUMER then to gain one. Lots of researchers state that even when site was a “top-rated”, it would go nowhere if the organization failed to live up to common etiquette, such as returning e-mails in a timely fashion, notifying customers of problems, being honest, and being good stewards of the customers’ data. Organizations that want to keep their customers or gain new ones try to get rid of all mistakes and be more appealing to be more desirable for online shoppers. And this is why many designers of web shops considered research outcomes concerning consumer expectations.

Research conducted by Elliot and Fowell (2000) revealed satisfactory and unsatisfactory CONSUMER experiences.

E-Commerce It is not a new thing any more as many online stores are selling their products and services online.

Electronic world. Consumers are now able to use the Internet for a variety of purposes such as research, communication, online banking, and even shopping with such advantages, the Internet is rapidly becoming the main method of communication and of conducting business conveniently.

With a growing number of households turning towards the Internet and the world of e-commerce to shop, invest, make payments, and do online banking, new technological advancements will have to come about to make these transactions secure. This project explores what the customer’s perceive the most when purchasing electronic goods.

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And if they are satisfied with the services being rendered to them and, if not, what they want from their “Online shopping electronic goods”.

Online Shopping Like Electronic Goods In the times when there are many online stores a very few of them are into the electronic market. And all over india this is done in all major cities . These stores are not at all organized with only a very few items available. these are the stores that can be accessed by anyone from any part of the world and the customers can by anything ranging from a lora to a pin.

The financial transactions are also done on the net by using means like credit cards, online banking or any other prepaid modes of payments. a very systematic method is followed by the online shopping to make feel the customer’s the experience of real shopping by just sitting on their seats and clicking their mouse. Online stores have come to stay and are no doubt the future of business.

Advantages:  You

can do home/office/school/everywhere with internet

connection.  The shops available are worldwide and open 24hour.  Should be cheaper if not look at delivery fees. 

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Saves a lot time that we don't have the luxury to waste.

 Saves money since we won't have to spend gas or fare to go to

stores.

Disadvantages:  Personal Privacy and Security (Biggest!!)  Delivery Fees... May Cost More Than The Things You

Purchase..  What If Purchased Good Get Is Not Good, Return Back?

Delivery Fees Again...  Can't Inspect Goods before Purchase  5. There Are Some Bogus Sites Out There to Scam You

On

Your Credit Card

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RESEARCH DESIGN

TITLE OF THE STUDY The title of the study is “consumer perception towards online shopping’’

Defination of research design:

“ It is a basic plan, which guides the data collection and analysis phases of the project. It is a frame work, which specifies the type of information to be collected, the resources of data collection procedure.”

-Thomas Kinnear A research design is a market plan or model for conduction a formal investigation. It is a specification of methods and procedures for acquiring the information needed for solving of any problem.Research design is the strategy for a study and the plan by which the strategy is to be carried out. It specifies the methods and procedures for the collection, measurement and analysis of data. Unfortunately, there is no simple classification of research designs that covers the variation found in practice.

Why does electronic shopping exist? For customers it is not only because of the high level of convenience, but also because of the broader selection; competitive pricing and greater access to information.

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For organizations it increases their consumer value and the building of sustainable capabilities, next to the increased profits.

Statement Of The Problem Market development and technological innovation must have a symbolic relationship for any business unit to achieve long term success understanding the technology-marketing interface and integrating with corporate strategy and organizational design is the way to maintain a productive balance.

While the Internet already has had considerable impact on the consumer marketplace, further consumer adoption of the Internet for conducting online purchases may be slowed considerably if significant concerns--whether based on actual or perceived risks--are present regarding the privacy and security issues surrounding online shopping.

Thus, for marketers, policymakers, and consumer advocates, a key goal should be to understand consumer risk perceptions regarding online shopping, and how these perceptions relate to Internet users' experience and purchase behaviors.

Thus the statement of problem is as follows:  Are the online electronic goods preferred to other methods of shopping?  Are the customers satisfied by the services rendered to them?  Is the societal perception favorable towards marketing of electronic item?

The project is aimed at finding out customer’s perception regarding satisfaction levels and service levels of online shopping

31

Objectives Of The Study  To know why the customers do online shopping  To know the level of satisfaction the customers have.  To identify customer attitude toward online shopping.  To understand the consumer awareness of the online

shopping.  To know the customers attitude towards usage of other Internet facilities.  To be able to easily save money and compare prices from website to Website.

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Scope Of The Study The study is all about understanding the customer’s perception.

To know what will customers prefer in the online shopping. This study helps to know about the opinion of the customers about internet. . It helps the online shops to carry out their business successfully by understanding customer’s perception, taste and preference towards products and services offered at the online shops.

Research Methodology A structured questionnaire was used to collect the necessary data. It serves as primary data to answer the research questions and objectives pertaining to online shopping in India. The survey questionnaire consists of 10 distinct sections, each of which contains questions pertaining to different parts of the study.

In view of time and cost constraints as well as the large population of Internet users in the country, convenience sampling was used to collect data from the current Internet users in India, which has the highest concentration of Internet users.

Even though the sampling method adopted has limitations in terms of generalisibility compared to other sampling methods, it is assumed that the sample represents the whole population of Internet users in India.

33

The survey was conducted via Email and face-to-face interviews.

The survey questionnaire was only e-mailed to Internet users who agreed to participate in the survey. This step was taken to avoid complaints from other Internet users and also to increase the responsiveness of respondents for the survey. Apart from the ability to reach large target respondents and inexpensive way to conduct the survey, e-mail surveys also enabled respondents to easily provide extensive responses to open-ended questions in describing their experiences in online shopping. Extensive responses received from open-ended questions will provide valuable input to the study so that a better understanding of online shopping in India can be achieved.

Data Collection One of the important tools for conducting marketing research is the availability of necessary and useful data. Data collection is in many ways more of an art that a finds. Sometimes the data are available readily in one form or the other and sometimes they are to be collected a fresh. In the case of marketing research, the data collection may occupy only a minor part or sometimes it may be most expensive and time consuming affair. Mainly data can be collected using two methods.

These are: ďƒ˜

Primary data

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ďƒ˜

Secondary data

Primary Data Primary data will be collected through questionnaires. The questionnaire has prepared to collect the data that is useful to conduct this study. The questionnaire is filled by the respondents and provides the information. In this study, the questionnaires based on the objectives of the study and the title of the study, and collected information from the customers who visit the shopping malls. The questionnaires are containing the questions, which are simple and understandable to the respondents. Primary data are obtained by a study specifically designed to fulfill the data needed of the problem. The primary will not be available in record form. This will be collected at the first time.

Secondary Data Secondary data is the data which is already been collected and assembled. This data is available with the company or firm and it can also be got from newspapers, periodicals, magazines, etc.

The research has collected the required secondary data from the records of the organization as well as from journals, yellow pages, newspapers, text boxes, encyclopedia etc. Information is also obtained from the staff and management of the organization.

SAMPLE SIZE:

35

A total of hundred respondents were interviewed during the survey.

The input from these respondents which was collected in Bangalore City formed the primary data for the study.

Sample Method: Sampling may be defined as the selection of some part of a aggregate or totality, on the basis of which judgment about the aggregate or totality is made. In other words, it is the process of obtaining information about an entire population by only examining only a part of it. Convenience sampling technique is used in this study. According to Convenience Sampling method it is assumed that entire population is homogenous and the samples are selected in such a way that each and every unit in the population has equal chance of occurrence or equal probability of occurrence. In other words, the sampling units are selected conveniently. A Convenience sample is obtained by selecting convenient population units.

Tools For Data Collection Interaction with Respondents was in the form of face-to-face interviews with the help of questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of a set of questions, asked to the respondent for his/her response, the questionnaire was structured and non-disguised. It was done in a prearranged order and the object of the research was revealed to the respondent. The questionnaire consisted of combination of open ended and close-ended question. and close-ended question.

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Limitations Of Study  The study was restricted to Bangalore City only so the findings are applicable only to Bangalore City.  Findings of the survey are based on the assumption that the respondents have given correct information.  Since the respondents had to fill the questionnaire while busy with their hectic schedule, many people were reluctant to answer. 

The respondents may be subjected to bias.



The time limitation is one of the factors which influence the study.

Plan Of Analysis The collected data was analyzed according to the objectives of the study based upon which suitable suggestions are made. Collected data was tabulated and with help of bar graph, pie graphs analysis is done for each data. The percentage, frequency is worked and evaluation is made to the tabulated data in the analysis process. Conclusions were drawn from the findings.

THE INTERNET INDUSTRY

Internet is the abbreviation for Internet work. It is a set of computer networks, made up of a large number of smaller networks, using different networking protocols. Internet is the world’s largest computer network comprised of thousands of small regional networks scattered throughout the globe. Technically, the Internet is a bunch of computers all

37

over the world that is connected. Once connected, it provides access to any one of those computers on the Internet network.

History and Growth Internet evolved from a small computer network set up in 1969.

Way back then an American defense department agency called the “Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency”, realized that they needed to develop an easy way to exchange military information between scientists and researchers based at different geographical locations.

A simple network of four computers, known DARPANET was therefore established. The Internet was re-designed to address the need for computer systems of different manufacturers and in different location was to be able to share data. The resulting network tat emerged was called ‘ARPANET’.

The original networked sites were military bases, universities, and companies with defense department contracts. As the size of this experimental network grew, so did concerns for security. The same networks used by companies and universities were becoming more and more accessible to the public. As a result, in 1984, ARPANET split into two separate but interconnected networks. The military side was named MILNET. The education side was still technically called ARPANET, but became increasingly known as the Internet.

The first to use the Internet, Charley Kline at UCLA sent the first packets on Arpanet as he tried to connect to Stanford Research Institute on Oct 29, 1969. The system crashed as he reached the G in LOGIN! Page 38

The basic services was offered by the Internet are E-mail, network news, access to remote computers and data acquisition systems, and the ability to transfer information between remote computers.

Today, of course, many people find out about the Internet at work, on TV and in magazine ads, as its presence is very hard to ignore.

The developing nations of the world are most concerned about the being the have-nots; those countries that missed out on the industrial revolution of the early 1900’s cannot afford to be left out of the information revolution. Many nations are rushing to implement the infrastructure needed to support the Internet. Modern telephone lines and switches are necessary to support the high bandwidth of the Internet.

However, with the advent of low cost and high availability of computing and networking technology, many developing countries are seeing that they can shoot right into the 21st century without having to go through an industrialization period.

According to a present research study among the developing countries, India has acquired the second place in Internet technology.

The hottest emerging market place today is the Internet around the world is becoming a vital channel for adding value to the product or service you offer to the customer. Businesses entering the Internet arena scrambled to find economic models that work. Free services supported by advertising shifted some of the direct costs away from the consumer-temporarily. Services such as Delphi offered free web pages, chat rooms, and message boards for community building. Online sales have grown rapidly for such products as books and music CDs and computers, but the profit margins are slim when price comparisons are so easy, and public trust in online security is still shaky. Business models that have worked 39

well are portal sites that try to provide everything for everybody, and live auctions. AOL's acquisition of Time-Warner was the largest merger in history when it took place and shows the enormous growth of Internet business! The stock market has had a rocky ride, swooping up and down as the new technology companies, the dot.com's encountered good news and bad. The decline in advertising income spelled doom for many dot.coms, and a major shakeout and search for better business models took place by the survivors.

A current trend with major implications for the future is the growth of high speed connections. 56K modems and the providers who supported them spread widely for a while, but this is the low end now. 56K is not fast enough to carry multimedia, such as sound and video except in low quality. But new technologies many times faster, such as cable modems and digital subscriber lines (DSL) are predominant now. Wireless has grown rapidly in the past few years, and travellers search for the Wi-Fi "hot spots" where they can connect while they are away from the home or office. Many airports, coffee bars, hotels and motels now routinely provide these services, some for a fee and some for free.A next big growth area is the surge towards universal wireless access, where almost everywhere is a "hot spot". Municipal Wi-Fi or city-wide access, wiMAX offering broader ranges than Wi-Fi, EV-DO, 3g, and other formats will joust for dominance in the USA in the years ahead. The battle is both economic and political. Another trend that is rapidly affecting web designers is the growth of smaller devices to connect to the Internet.

Small tablets, pocket PCs, smart phones, eBooks, game machines, and

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even GPS devices are now capable of tapping into the web on the go, and many web pages are not designed to work on that scale.

As the Internet has become ubiquitous, faster, and increasingly accessible to non-technical communities, social networking and collaborative services have grown rapidly, enabling people to communicate and share interests in many more ways. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, Linked-In, YouTube, Flickr, Second Life, delicious, blogs, wikis, and many more let people of all ages rapidly share their interests of the moment with others everywhere.

The Internet was designed in part to provide a communications network that would work even if some of the sites were destroyed by nuclear attack. If the most direct route was not available, routers would direct traffic around the network via alternate routes.

The early Internet was used by computer experts, engineers, scientists, and librarians. There was nothing friendly about it. There were no home or office personal computers in those days, and anyone who used it, whether a computer professional or an engineer or scientist or librarian, had to learn to use a very complex system.

Did Al Gore invent the Internet?

According to a CNN transcript of an interview with Wolf Blitzer, Al Gore said,"During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet." Al Gore was not yet in Congress in 1969 when ARPANET started or in 1974 when the term Internet first came into use. Gore was elected to Congress in 1976. In fairness, Bob Kahn and Vint Cerf acknowledge in a paper titled Al Gore and the Internet that Gore has probably done more than any other elected official

41

to support the growth and development of the Internet from the 1970's to the present.

E-mail was adapted for ARPANET by Ray Tomlinson of BBN in 1972. He picked the @ symbol from the available symbols on his teletype to link the username and address. The telnet protocol, enabling logging on to a remote computer, was published as a Request for Comments (RFC) in 1972. RFC's are a means of sharing developmental work throughout community. The ftp protocol, enabling file transfers between Internet sites, was published as an RFC in 1973, and from then on RFC's were available electronically to anyone who had use of the ftp protocol.

Libraries began automating and networking their catalogs in the late 1960s independent from ARPA. The visionary Frederick G. Kilgore of the Ohio College Library Center (now OCLC, Inc.) led networking of Ohio libraries during the '60s and '70s. In the mid 1970s more regional consortia from New England, the Southwest states, and the Middle Atlantic states, etc., joined with Ohio to form a national, later international, network. Automated catalogs, not very user-friendly at first, became available to the world, first through telnet or the awkward IBM variant TN3270 and only many years later, through the web. See The History of OCLC The Internet matured in the 70's as a result of the TCP/IP architecture first proposed by Bob Kahn at BBN and further developed by Kahn and Vint Cerf at Stanford and others throughout the 70's. It was adopted by the Defense Department in 1980 replacing the earlier Network Control Protocol (NCP) and universally adopted by 1983.

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Stability Of The Internet The incredible interconnectivity and size of the internet is both a curve and a blessing its size means that navigating can often be cumbersome, but the size and interconnectivity means that it is hard to shut down entire internet. Because one of the primary purpose in designing the Internet was to make a network that could withstand global outages of the type that might be experienced in wartime, the system is very good at handling outages. While occasionally certain locations may be inaccessible due to maintenance or technical problems, the system is designed to automatically re-route itself to avoid problem area.

In fact, much of the Internet automatically changes its connections based on which connections are more loaded than others. This means that the path you take to get from your computer to another computer in the world changes often from moment to moment. All of this happens without your needing to know about it.

The best course of action that can be taken to ensure the stability of the service is to pickup an adequate and reliable provider. It will be their job to ensure that your Internet feed is fast and reliable.

THE World Wide Web (www.w3) For many years, people have dreamt of the concept of a universal database of knowledge information that would be accessible to people around the world and link easily to other pieces of information so that any user could quickly find the things most important to themselves. Only now has the technology caught up with these dreams, making it possible to implement them on a global scale.

43

The WWW can be defined as a convergence of different concepts for presenting linked information dispersed across the Internet in an accessible way when you are on WWW; you are always on the internet.

But the reverse is not true. The WWW has provided users on computers network with a consistent means to access a variety of media in a simplified fashion. The WWW was an attempt to incorporate all capabilities of the Internet into an easy-to-use interface.

Consumer Risk Perceptions Regarding Online Shopping While the Internet already has had considerable impact on the consumer marketplace, further consumer adoption of the Internet for conducting online purchases may be slowed considerably if significant concerns--whether based on actual or perceived risks--are present regarding the privacy and security issues surrounding online shopping.

Thus, for marketers, policymakers, and consumer advocates, a key goal should be to understand consumer risk perceptions regarding online shopping, and how these perceptions relate to Internet users' experience and purchase behaviors.

Interestingly, some models of online buying behavior have excluded risk as a predictor of online shopping (e.g., Li, Kuo, and Russell 1999; Lohse and Spiller 1999), although others see risk reduction as a key to increasing consumer participation in e-commerce (Palmer, Bailey, and Faraj 2000; Swaminathan, Lepkowska-White, and Rao 1999). Much of the risk perceived in online shopping likely derives from the relative novelty of the Internet as a remote purchasing method, as well as the publicity surrounding potential problems with privacy and security. From Page 44

this perspective, many marketers believe that experience gained through simple usage of the Internet for non purchase purposes such as information gathering and noncommercial communication will lead consumers to discover that privacy and security risks often are exaggerated. For example, concerns over cookies--pieces of information that a web site stores on a consumer's computer that are used to identify repeat visitors and personalize the online shopping experience--could dissipate as consumers learn that cookies typically cannot access data other than that already provided to the web site by the consumer (FTC 2000). Assuming that other risks are tempered as non purchase-related experience with the Internet increases, higher levels of Internet experience would be expected to result in lower levels of perceived risk and fewer risk-related concerns with respect to conducting purchase transactions on the Internet

SERVICES Information Many people use the terms Internet and World Wide Web, or just the Web, interchangeably, but the two terms are not synonymous. The World Wide Web is a global set of documents, images and other resources, logically interrelated by hyperlinks and referenced with Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs). URIs allow providers to symbolically identify services and clients to locate and address web servers, file servers, and other databases that store documents and provide resources and access them using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), the primary carrier protocol of the Web. HTTP is only one of the hundreds of communication protocols used on the Internet. Web services

45

may also use HTTP to allow software systems to communicate in order to share and exchange business logic and data.

World Wide Web browser software, such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Apple Safari, and Google Chrome, let users navigate from one web page to another via hyperlinks embedded in the documents.

These documents may also contain any combination of computer data, including graphics, sounds, text, video, multimedia and interactive content

including

games,

office

applications

and

scientific

demonstrations. Through keyword-driven Internet research using search engines like Yahoo! and Google, users worldwide have easy, instant access to a vast and diverse amount of online information. Compared to printed encyclopedias and traditional libraries, the World Wide Web has enabled the decentralization of information.

Communication E-mail is an important communications service available on the Internet. The concept of sending electronic text messages between parties in a way analogous to mailing letters or memos predates the creation of the Internet. Today it can be important to distinguish between internet and internal e-mail systems. Internet e-mail may travel and be stored unencrypted on many other networks and machines out of both the sender's and the recipient's control. During this time it is quite possible for the content to be read and even tampered with by third parties, if anyone considers it important enough. Purely internal or intranet mail systems, where the information never leaves the corporate or organization's network, are much more secure, although in any organization there will be IT and other personnel whose job may involve Page 46

monitoring, and occasionally accessing, the e-mail of other employees not addressed to them. Pictures, documents and other files can be sent as e-mail attachments. E-mails can be cc-ed to multiple e-mail addresses.

Data Transfer File sharing is an example of transferring large amounts of data across the Internet. A computer file can be e-mailed to customers, colleagues and friends as an attachment. It can be uploaded to a website or FTP server for easy download by others. It can be put into a "shared location" or onto a file server for instant use by colleagues. The load of bulk downloads to many users can be eased by the use of "mirror" servers or peer-to-peer networks. In any of these cases, access to the file may be controlled by user authentication, the transit of the file over the Internet may be obscured by encryption, and money may change hands for access to the file. The price can be paid by the remote charging of funds from, for example, a credit card whose details are also passed—usually fully encrypted—across the Internet. The origin and authenticity of the file received may be checked by digital signatures or by MD5 or other message digests. These simple features of the Internet, over a worldwide basis, are changing the production, sale, and distribution of anything that can be reduced to a computer file for transmission. This includes all manner of print publications, software products, news, music, film, video, photography, graphics and the other arts. This in turn has caused seismic shifts in each of the existing industries that previously controlled the production and distribution of these products.

Streaming media refers to the act that many existing radio and television broadcasters promote Internet "feeds" of their live audio and

47

video streams (for example, the BBC). They may also allow time-shift viewing or listening such as Preview, Classic Clips and Listen Again features. These providers have been joined by a range of pure Internet "broadcasters" who never had on-air licenses. This means that an Internet-connected device, such as a computer or something more specific, can be used to access on-line media in much the same way as was previously possible only with a television or radio receiver. The range of available types of content is much wider, from specialized technical

webcasts

to

on-demand

popular

multimedia

services.

Podcasting is a variation on this theme, where—usually audio—material is downloaded and played back on a computer or shifted to a portable media player to be listened to on the move. These techniques using simple equipment allow anybody, with little censorship or licensing control, to broadcast audio-visual material worldwide.

Webcams can be seen as an even lower-budget extension of this phenomenon. While some webcams can give full-frame-rate video, the picture is usually either small or updates slowly. Internet users can watch animals around an African waterhole, ships in the Panama Canal, traffic at a local roundabout or monitor their own premises, live and in real time.

Video chat rooms and video conferencing are also popular with many uses being found for personal webcams, with and without two-way sound. YouTube was founded on 15 February 2005 and is now the leading website for free streaming video with a vast number of users. It uses a flash-based web player to stream and show video files. Registered users may upload an unlimited amount of video and build their own

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personal profile. YouTube claims that its users watch hundreds of millions, and upload hundreds of thousands of videos daily.[13]

The Growing Online Shopping Industry From online auctions to online components to departments stores, online shopping can offer great deals or specialized products to its buyers.

Sellers can help promote online shopping by making their websites user friendly and easily accessible. Using the internet to shop can provide so much convenience that regular stores can't provide because users never have to leave the comfort of their homes. Unfortunately, however, shipping and handling not only costs in most cases, but also requires time to deliver. Even though consumers have the convenience of ordering at home, they do have to make sure to be available to receive a package and sign for it upon delivery.

Also, more and more stores are finding the need for online shopping carts, making their merchandise available over the internet, even though they still have a store-front. One example is pizza restaurants - with so many people online, and so many people using mobile devices, the companies that do not offer online ordering are suffering from the loss of those customers who can easily find a way to order their pizza and have it delivered with a few clicks of a mouse. Some organizations that don't have store-fronts are also finding online shopping carts to be extremely beneficial.

Auction sites have grown in popularity. Not only does a shopper get to look for merchandise they are interested in buying, but the auctioning aspect of the website adds intrigue and fun to the shopping experience. A risk is always involved with auctions. However, if a 49

shopper is informed and cautious about the process, they can potentially save a significant amount of money. It is also easy for some shoppers to get carried away in the excitement auctions can promote, and buyers can get carried away with how much they are willing to spend.

Where typical auctions require buyers to attempt to out bid one another for the highest price to purchase an item, reverse auctions turn this idea around, requiring sellers to compete for the buyers' business.

Reverse auctions, which have also been known as service auctions, were more common among corporations until recently, especially web-based auctioning platforms, and were used for sourcing.

There are benefits to both buying and selling online, and it is becoming an industry on its own. If retailers can succeed in making their stores accessible and enjoyable to use, consumers will keep coming back, and keep up the growth of online stores.

History Of Online Shopping Internet shopping is shaping up. However today, internet shopping is a really significant part of the retail sector. Internet shopping is the new shopping experience of the future. Of course the other major hurdle for internet shopping is shipping charges, sometimes they are to expensive.

The growth rate for Internet shopping is growing.

Secure internet shopping is secure using encryption and ssl techniques. Internet shopping is easier, safer, and more convenient than at any point in its history. Internet shopping is fast becoming one of the easiest ways to buy almost anything you want. Internet shopping is a Page 50

way of shopping that allows shopping for required products without going to the store physically. The Internet is great because people are able to shop 24 hours a day without having to leave their home or work.

The Internet is changing the wholesale/retail landscape daily. In today’s market the shopping sector is taking about a tenth of all retail shopping sales in the US, and the percentage in other countries is not as high. One reason we use the internet is to buy merchandise at a discount to retail.

One of the biggest benefits of shopping online is the convenience and access to more products and information 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Note that blocking all cookies prevents some online services from working, so you must allow cookies on your browser. Nearly 40 percent of remote workers said they use their work computers for Internet shopping. Be a smart shopper and use common sense when online shopping and just go ahead and enjoy your Internet shopping experience today. The more people that shop online, the bigger their expectations.

The supermarket industry now services many customers through online food shopping over the Internet. We understand that shopping online can feel risky and uncertain.

The following tips will help ensure a safe Internet shopping. If you follow this advice on safe Internet shopping, this should not be a problem. All purchases are made through safe and secure servers. It's safe to say SSL is extremely sophisticated software and safe. Always know where your cards are and keep them in a safe place.

The

phenomenal success of online retailers such as Amazon and Expedia is proof that internet shopping is practiced - and trusted - by millions.

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Of course the other major hurdle for internet shopping is shipping charges, sometimes shipping is much more than the product. Whether we love it or hate it, Internet shopping is convenient, provides a wide choice and competitive prices. Internet shopping is a big time-saver. As mentioned above, Internet shopping is very much like conventional inhome shopping from catalogs or mail orders. Despite the toughening competition, Internet shopping is likely to continue to grow.

Chris O’Neill and David Marc Fishman are the owners of priceriot.com. Priceriot is a new online auction where prices drop as people shop for computers.

The last ten years have been a wild time on the Internet, especially when it comes to online shopping. The e-commerce industry has seen rapid growth, a shake out of the market due to security concerns, and finally, a rebirth thanks to new technologies and innovative ways to shop. EBay and Amazon.com: The Early Players while most businesses were still figuring out how to get their companies online, Amazon and eBay were enjoying success by finding new ways to look at old paradigms. EBay took the garage sale/rummage sale concept and put it online where millions of people could bid on used or overstocked items put up for sale. Amazon struck back against conventional bookstore thinking by using its infinitesimal amount of shelf space to stock practically every book in print. While these two industry heavyweights have had their share of ups and downs throughout the years, the fact that both are still going strong is a testament to their business model and the vision of their leadership.

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Online Security Issues Threaten an Industry

It is hard to imagine it now, but only several years ago, the entire online shopping industry was at a major crossroads. Hackers had begun to infiltrate thousands of websites and the term "identity theft" found its way into the mainstream media. Shoppers began to flee the web over concerns about the safety of the credit card information and the industry looked to collapse under the stress. Flash forward to 2008.

Although Information safety is still a primary concern, and hackers still lurk behind many corners, innovations in web encryption have helped businesses protect their online customers like never before, and the sales are back in the growth column.

Faster Connections and Technology Lead to Better Shopping Experiences

With over half of the United States now using

broadband connections to surf the web, online stores are able to provide a more robust, interactive shopping experience. Customers can now use cutting-edge technology to customize their purchases online and see what the finished product will look like. E-commerce sites can now use powerful algorithms to predict shopper's tastes and make recommendations about purchases they might like The Next Wave of Online Shopping Sites Now individuals can order products from their favorite brands and stores with the click of a mouse. And new shopping sites are popping up every day that change the way we think about online shopping.

53

One of the fastest growing business models is the deal of the day website, where alert customers can grab a low price on a limited quantity item by checking the site on a regular basis.

These sites place a single item up for sale every day, and open up small number of the item at the "opening bell." It's one of the fun, innovative ways that consumer are shopping online, and a reason why the e-commerce industry continues to grow.

The world's first recorded B2C was Gateshead SIS/Tesco in May 1984.

In 1990 Tim Berners-Lee created the first World Wide Web server and browser. In 1994 other advances took place, such as online banking and the opening of an online pizza shop by Pizza Hut. During that same year, Netscape introduced SSL encryption of data transferred online, which has become essential for secure online shopping. In 1995 Amazon expanded its online shopping, and in 1996 eBay appeared.

Indian Market Indian culture is a beautiful collection of images and thoughts and the Indian Market here at Asian Shopping Online offers some of the best web-based Indian shopping online. Divided up into distinct categories, you are able to sample some of the finest Indian movies, Indian music and Indian jewelry, among a variety of other things.

Perhaps one of the most celebrated aspects of Indian culture is the literature that has been developed by Indian writers to capture the Indian philosophy and way of life. These Indian books range in topic from

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modern topics like the rise of India has a major world power to the ancient origins of India and its unique sense of culture. These themes are also served by Indian movies and other items that can be found here at Asian Shopping Online, bringing to your home the vast history and exciting future of India.

One of the most accessible ways to experience Indian culture is to take part in the Indian clothing and Indian jewelry posted in our Indian Market to give your wardrobe a sense of the exotic. Indian fashion has long been respected for its vibrant colors and refined accessories and now that can be a part of your own sense of style through the Indian Market section of Asian Shopping Online.

Perhaps the most famous aspect of an Asian culture is the profoundly unique food that has come from the people in the region.

Indian food and health items communicate this exotic and unique aspect of Indian culture through the flavor of the food and the effect of the health care items developed in and inspired by the region. No matter what your interest in Indian culture, the Indian Market on Asian Shopping Online is full of options to have those interests shipped directly to you to enjoy and explore Indian culture.

Payment Online shoppers commonly use credit card to make payments, however some systems enable users to create accounts and pay by alternative means, such as: 

Debit card



Various types of electronic money



Cash on delivery (C.O.D., offered by very few online stores) 55



Cheque



Wire transfer/delivery on payment



Postal money order



Reverse SMS billing to mobile phones



Gift cards



Direct debit in some countries Some sites will not allow international credit cards and billing

address and shipping address have to be in the same country in which site does its business. Other sites allow customers from anywhere to send gifts anywhere. The financial part of a transaction might be processed in real time (for example, letting the consumer know their credit card was declined before they log off), or might be done later as part of the fulfillment process.

While credit cards are currently the most popular means of paying for online goods and services, alternative online payments will account for 26% of e-commerce volume by 2009 according to Celent.

Best Indian Online Shopping Websites - Top Online Shopping Sites in India WeeksUpdate.com."

Online shopping is becoming popular in India these days. In a country like India, where people has to depend on metro cities for finding commodities with good quality and wide selection,

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Online shopping offers vast, easy and interesting shopping experience.

Online shopping provides several advantages like 24 hours shopping, which requires less travel, rich product availability and specifications etc. Almost all online shopping sites now offer items in discounted price and free shipping for selected items thereby attracting the net savvy customers to have a try. Unlike conventional shopping the consumer can get a detailed account of the specifications of the commodity through the website.

Online shopping has its drawbacks too, we cannot touch and feel the item, delay in shipping, risk of loosing your money etc are a few.

EBay and Amazon are the market leaders in online shopping in the world.

However local counterparts are more popular in India. Here is a list of popular websites offering online shopping in India. (Read more articles like this at http://www.weeksupdate.com/ )

Home Shop 18 HomeShop18 is a venture of theNetwork18 Group, India's fastest growing media and entertainment Group. Network18 operates India’s leading business news television channels - CNBC TV18 and CNBC Awaaz. HomeShop18 has also launched India’s first 24 hour Home Shopping TV channel. The company has its headquarters in Noida, UP. The website has received the 'Best shopping site" award from PC World Magazine in 2008. http://www.homeshop18.com/

Indiaplaza Indiaplaza, with operations in Bangalore, Chennai and Austin is 57

now the world's largest India-centric e-commerce company with over one million online transacting customers globally. It offers a catalogue of over 3.5 million items for sale and also has in-house control of web technologies, warehousing and logistics; supported by a 24-hour CONSUMER Service Centre in Bangalore. Indiaplaza offers support to shopping gateways of Sify, Manorama etc. http://www.indiaplaza.in/

EBay India EBay. In is the Indian version of the popular online shopping portal eBay.com - world's online marketplace. Ebay has a diverse and passionate community of individuals and small businesses. Ebay offers used and fresh items with a wide network of international shipping. http://www.ebay.in/

(Read

more

articles

like

this

at www.weeksupdate.com ) Naaptol Launched in January 2008, Naaptol has grown to become India's leading comparison based social shopping portal, the one-stop destination for

all

shoppers,

merchants

and

market

enthusiasts.

http://www.naaptol.com/

Future Bazaar FutureBazaar.com is owned and operated by Future Bazaar India Ltd. (FBIL), the people behind Pantaloon Retails, Bigbazaar shopping mall. FBIL is the e-commerce arm of the Future Group. The company Page 58

was incorporated in 2006 and began business in 2007. Future Bazaar has its

office

and

consumer

care

(24

X

7)

at

Mumbai. http://www.futurebazaar.com/ Indiatimes Indiatimes shopping has the widest range of consumer electronic items at lowest prices. The portal is supported by the Times of India group and offers support mostly in the north western part of India. http://www.shopping.indiatimes.com/

Marketing Potential Of The Internet The type of functionality, and mode of delivery of information that have been promised for decades, is now a reality. These include video conferencing, inexpensive global phone call, instant data access and real time interactivity. Applications that use rapid and reliable transmission of data over the Internet are now being used in the filed of marketing, education and entertainment. If you can think of an application of technology and information, it is probably already on the Internet in some form. Internet has brought in a sea change in the communication and the way business is conducted. One of the key factors that enhance the Internet to help it gain such huge success is ‘interactivity’.

Another interesting and important feature that the medium (Internet) possesses is ‘global reach’.

The Internet is essentially a community of people that has helped to establish the first truly global community spanning every continent, race, religion, sex and age. The global presence has presented niche areas for businesses, marketer’s etc. Most of the MNC’s and corporate houses are 59

using the internet for delivering product information, personalized services, establishing corporate identity, building brand awareness and loyalty, providing customers service, conducting sales transaction and research. No doubt the exports and small trade segments have also received major boots in their businesses. For a small trader, the net can offer the best services by providing a direct client base and international coverage at a normal cost. Also the Internet will allow small/big traders to reach a global audience, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with a constant shopping experience.

The Internet provides better mileage in terms of both publicity and advertising, as compare to other media, because of its inherent characteristics. The fundamental way in which the concept of website differs from the old paradigm of advertising (TV, radio, print) is the power of narrow casting. The main basic concept of Internet is pull-based and not push-based. Internet will act as the great equalizer because there are no restrictions on ‘shelf’ space in this medium. Clearly, Internet is a low cost global medium that can boast of more than 40 million affluent.

Educated users growing at different rate cannot be ignored by any responsible company.

Marketers to conduct market research and opinion polls can also use Internet. A vast array of information- everything from market awareness and degree of satisfaction towards the product or services can be gathered with the help of interactive forms through the Internet. On the WWW it is pretty easy to advertise in many lists, which will help to generate a steady stream of interested people. However, of those who visit the sites, what percentage comes back and what percentage actually Page 60

purchase can be got through many tools in the WWW. This information would be very useful, as it would act as a measure of how effective the site is. One of the most important side benefits of the WWW is, acquiring demographics. Demographics allow the marketers to see how the competent the advertising and the sites really are.

E-Commerce E Commerce or electronic commerce is selling of products on the Internet. Many people confuse it with e-business but it is understandable because commerce is after all, a primary element of

business. But

commerce is only the start of business, buying and selling is e-commerce just the tip of the business.

E-commerce is online shopping. E-commerce brings a whole new dimension to the exchange of goods and services because it provides a level of convenience never possible before

Broadly speaking there are two types of commerce.

1. Business - Business 2. Retail - oriented

Business – Business As the name suggests, the business – business type of e-commerce involves transactions such as purchases or tenders for sale between 61

companies. Most business- business transactions are typically of high value. An example could be the global aircraft Boeing inviting suppliers for the supply of parts.

Retail oriented In the case of retail oriented commerce business is oriented towards individuals. Products here could be anything ranging from books all the way up to shares in the stock market.

Privacy Privacy of personal information is a significant issue for some consumers. Different legal jurisdictions have different laws concerning consumer privacy, and different levels of enforcement. Many consumers wish to avoid spam and telemarketing which could result from supplying contact information to an online merchant. In response, many merchants promise not to use consumer information for these purposes, or provide a mechanism to opt-out of such contacts.

Brick-and-mortar stores also collect consumer information.

Some ask for address and phone number at checkout, though consumers may refuse to provide it. Many larger stores use the address information encoded on consumers' credit cards (often without their knowledge) to add them to a catalog mailing list. This information is obviously not accessible to the merchant when paying in cash.

The Internet for Market Research Page 62

The Internet is a dream tool, where the companies can gather competitive and market research information with a minimal cost, for use in the marketing communication program. In Internet many companies are waiting to serve you for conduction market research programs online.

Demographics can examine regional interest. By looking the logs of access, it is possible for the marketers to determine which parts of the Internet community were most interested in your poll. This information is very useful in targeting audience. An interesting place for getting online demographic information is the yahoo list for statistics site.

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TABLE 1 SEGMENTATION OF THE RESPONDENTS BASED ON AGE GROUP AGE GROUP

NUMBER OF

PERCENTAGE

RESPONDENTS BELOW 20 YEARS

7

7%

20-25 YEARS

49

49%

25-30 YEARS

23

23%

30-35 YEARS

13

13%

ABOVE 35 YEARS

8

8%

TOTAL

100

100%

Source- Primary Data, 100 Respondents, Feb-March-2010

Analysis As it can be observed from the given table, the major portion of sample (49 %) is constituted of people in the age group between 20-25 years, and also a portion of sample i.e. (23 %) of respondent are in the age group between 25-30. years, (13%) of the respondent are in the age group of between 30-35 years, 8% of respondent are in the age group above 35 years ‘and the rest of (7%) of the respondent are in the age group of below 20 years.

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GRAPH 1 SEGMENTATION OF THE RESPONDENTS BASED ON AGE GROUP

Source -Table -1

Interpretation:Based on above graph out of 100 respondents , approximately 49 respondents are 20-25yr age group and followed by 23 respondents are 25-30yr age group and 13 respondents are30-35yr

and rest of below

20yr are 7respondence and above 35yr are 8 respondents.

TABLE 2 SEGMENTATIONS OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON EDUCATION

EDUCATION

NUMBER OF

PERCENTAGE

RESPONDENTS Undergraduates

40

40%

Graduates

16

16%

Post-graduates

28

28%

Professionals

16

16%

TOTAL

100

100%

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Source- Primary Data, 100 Respondents, Feb-March-2010

Analysis As seen from the above table and graph, majority of the respondent (40%) are undergraduates, (16%) are engage in graduates.

(28%) are Post-graduates and the rest of (16%) are professional..

GRAPH 2 SEGMENTATIONS OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON EDUCATION

Source- Table -2

Interpretation:A majority of 40 respondents are under graduates, followed by 28 respondents are post graduates and rest of graduates and professional are 16 respondents and 16 respondents respectively. Out of 100 respondents.

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TABLE 3 SEGMENTATION OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON OCCUPATION OCCUPATION

NUMBER OF

PERCENATAGE

RESPODENTS Student

45

45%

Self employees

16

16%

Salaried employees

19

19%

Professionals

14

14%

Others

6

6%

TOTAL

100

100%

Source- Primary Data, 100 Respondents, Feb-March-2010

Analysis As seen from the above table and graph, majority of the respondent (45%) are college students, (16%) are engage in self employees. (19%) are salaried employees of various sectors like IT .

(14%) are Professionals Graphed Accountants, Lawyers, College Professor. and rest of (6%)are others constituting housewives & children's.

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GRAPH 3 SEGMENTATION OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON OCCUPATION

Source -Table -3

Interpretation:A Majority of 45 respondents are students, followed by 19 respondents are salaried employees and 16 respondents are self employees, and rest of 14 and 6 respondents are professional and others.

Table 4 SHOWING PC HOLDER AND INTERNET CONNECTION RESPONSE

OWNING

CONNECTED

PERSONAL

TO INTERNET

COMPUTER YES

75%

35%

NO

25%

65%

TOTAL.

100%

100%

Page 68

Source -Primary Data, 100 Respondents, Feb-March-2010

Analyses As per the table shown above it clearly states that (75%) of the respondents are Owning computer of that only (35%) of them are connected with net. (35%) are don’t have owning computer of which only (65 percent) of them are not connected with net.

GRAPH 4 SHOWING PC HOLDER AND INTERNET CONNECTION

Source-Table -4

Interpretation:Most of 75 respondents are use own pc and 35 have net connection and rest of 25 respondents don’t have own pc and 65 respondents are not have net connection.

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Table 5 PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS WOULD PREFER PURCHASE ONLINE

RESPONSE

NUMBER OF

PERCENTAGE

RESPONDENTS Yes

60

60%

No

40

40%

Total

100

100%

Source-- Primary Data, 100 Respondents, Feb-March-2010

Analyses As per the table shown above it clearly states that (60%) of the respondents would prefer purchase online and rest of them said no purchase on the net in future.

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GRAPH 5 PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS WOULD PREFER PURCHASE ONLINE

Source -Table -5

Interpretation:Above the graph mention out of 100 respondents 60 respondents would prefer online shopping and followed by 40 respondents are would not prefer online shopping.

TABLE 6 PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON PURPOSE OF SURFING

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PURPOSE

NUMBER OF

PERCENTAGE

RESPONDENTS Mail

40

40%

Shopping

11

11%

Spend time

14

14%

Information

35

35%

TOTAL

100

100%

Source- Primary Data, 100 Respondents, Feb-March-2010

Analysis As observed from the Above table and Graph it clearly indicates that main aspects of surfing the web is for mail purpose which comes to 40%, followed by Information which

are 35% , Only then comes

Purchasing i.e. about 8% of the respondent. Finally spend time with 12%.

GRAPH 6 PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON PURPOSE OF SURFING

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Source -Table -6

Interpretation:Based on above graph out of 100 respondents 40 respondent surf net only check their mail regularly and 35 respondent are surf information and rest of 14 and 11 respondents are spend time and shopping respectively.

Table 7 RESPONSE

NUMBER OF

PERCENTAGE

RESPONDENTS Yes

66

66%

No

34

34%

TOTAL

100

100%

PERCENTAGE OF NO OF RESPONDENTS PURCHASED THROUGH ONLINE PRODUCT OR SERVICE

73

Source- Primary Data, 100 Respondents, Feb-March-2010

Analysis The given table tells that only 66% of the Respondents have been purchased from online and the rest of the 34% who has been Surfing but had not purchased from the Net. It clearly states that the percentage of respondents who are aware of Net advertisement are almost near to that of the persons or respondents who who have been purchased from the web and within few more years it definitely increases.

GRAPH 7 PERCENTAGE OF NO OF RESPONDENTS PURCHASED THROUGH ONLINE PRODUCT OR SERVICE

Source -Table -7

Interpretation:Above the graph out of 100 respondents 66 respondents are purchase through internet and 34 respondents are not purchase online product and services.

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TABLE 8 PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON PREFERENCE NAME OF THE

NUMBER OF

PERCENTAGE

STORE

RESPONDENTS

Ebay.com

26

26%

Fabmart.com

4

4%

Amazon.com

25

25%

Inditimes.com

21

21%

Local store

24

24%

TOTAL

100

100%

TOWARDS FAVORITE ONLINE SHOPPING STORE

Source- Primary Data, 100 Respondents, Feb-March-2010

Analysis From this statement and Graph it is clear that most of the Respondent i.e. (26%) of them has stated that ebay.com is the best, followed by fabmart.com with (4%). And 25% are amazon.com and 24% are local store. And finally of 21% is India times.com. and favorite store eBay after amazon.com.

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GRAPH 8 PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON PREFERENCE TOWARDS FAVORITE ONLINE SHOPPING STORE

Source -Table -8

Interpretation:A Majority of favorite online stores 26 respondents are ebay.com and 25 respondents are Amazon .com is favorite store and 24 respondent said local stores are good and 21 respondents are indiatimes.com and rest of 4 respondents are fabmart.com .

TABLE 9 PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON CUSTOMER (PREFER SHOPPING) PREFER ONLINE SHOPPING RESPONSE

NUMBER OF

PERCENTAGE

RESPONDENTS Yes

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49

49%

No

31

31%

Depends

20

20%

TOTAL

100

100%

Source- Primary Data, 100 Respondents, Feb-March-2010

Analysis From the data collected we see the 49% respondents are prefer online shopping and 31%are

not prefer and rest 20% respondents are

depends.

GRAPH 9 PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON CUSTOMER (PREFER SHOPPING) REFERENCE TOWARDS ONLINE SHOPPING

Source -Table -9

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Interpretation: Based on above graph 49 respondents are prefer online shopping and 31 respondents are said no prefer online shopping and rest of 20 respondent are depend.

TABLE10 PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON CUSTOMER PREFERENCE TOWARDS ONLINE PRODUCTS

NUMBER OF

PERCENTAGE

RESPONDENTS Electronic item

27

27%

Music(Cassette/CD’s)

13

13%

Jewelry

5

5%

Online recharge

17

17%

Train/bus ticket

30

30%

Books/others

8

8%

TOTAL

100

100%

Source Primary Data, 100 Respondents, Feb-March-2010

Analysis: The above table clearly states that electronic goods are being purchase through the net is around 27% and CDs and cassettes are being

Page 78

purchased around 13% then followed by travel booking with 30% and books and jewelry which comes to 8% and 5% respectively .and then followed by Online recharge which is around 17 %.

From the Above table it is clear that many respondent who purchased the products and services through online did not involve much of cost and involvement in purchasing example like CDs and cassettes, books and electronic goods, travel booking.

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GRAPH 10 PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON CUSTOMER PREFERENCE TOWARDS ONLINE PRODUCTS .Source -Table -10

Interpretation:Above the graph out of 100 respondents are Approximately 30 respondents are purchase online train and bus ticket, followed by 27 respondents are purchase electronic goods and 17 respondents are purchase online recharge and 13 respondents are purchase music and CD and 8 respondents are purchase books and 5 respondents are purchase jewelry.

TABLE 11 PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON CONSUMER’S OPINION ABOUT SERVICES RESPONSE

NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS

Page 80

PERCENTAGE

Excellent

22

22%

Good

24

24%

Average

46

46%

Poor

8

8%

TOTAL

100

100%

Source- Primary Data, 100 Respondents, Feb-March-2010

Analysis: Above the table obsovered opinion about the services of online stores 22% are excellent, 46% of feel the service are average, and rest of good and poor 24% and 8% respectively.

GRAPH 11 PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON CUSTOMERS OPINION ABOUT SERVICES

Source -Table -11

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Interpretation:Above the graph out of 100 respondents 46 respondents opinion are service is average and 24 respondents opinion are good and 22 respondents opinion are service is excellent and rest of 8 respondents are poor.

TABLE: 12 PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON CUSTOMER OPINION ABOUT RANGE OF AVAILABLE PRODUCT RESPONSE

NUMBER OF

PERCENTGE

RESPONDENTS Excellent

20

20%

Good

26

26%

Average

48

48%

Poor

6

6%

TOTAL

100

100%

Source -Primary Data, 100 Respondents, Feb-March-2010

Analysis

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Above the table opinion about the range of the products 16% are excellent, 54% of feel the service are average, and rest of good and poor 26% and 6% respectively.

GRAPH 12 PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON CUSTOMER OPINION ABOUT RANGE OF AVAILABLE PRODUCT

Source -Table -12

Interpretation:Majority of respondents out of 100 respondents , 48 respondents are availability of average and 26 respondents opinion are availability of good and rest of respondents 20 and 6 are said availability of excellent and poor respectively.

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TABLE 13 PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON CUSTOMERS OPINION ABOUT PRICING. RESPONSE

NUMBER OF

PERCENTAGE

RESPONDENTS Costly

18

18%

Affordable

47

47%

Depends

35

35%

Total

100

100%

Source -Primary Data, 100 Respondents, Feb-March-2010

Analysis The above table states customer opinion about pricing of product 18% are costly and 47% product is affordable and rest of depends 35%, From this it is clear that for pricing of online shopping to become effective the reduce the registration process and increase the safety of the site there by build the confidence of their loyal customer, which increases the confidence level of the customer and make them purchase on internet.

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GRAPH 13 PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON CUSTOMERS OPINION ABOUT PRICING.

Source -Table -13

Interpretation:Above the graph out of 100 respondents opinions of product range are affordable 47 respondents and 35 responds opinions are depend and rest of 18 respondents opinion are costly product.

TABLE: 14 PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON CUSTOMERS PINION ABOUT AWARE ELECTRONIC GOODS SHOPPING PARTICULAR

NUMBER OF

PERCENTAGE

REPONDENTS Yes

75

75%

No

25

25%

85

TOTAL

100

100%

Source- Primary Data, 100 Respondents, Feb-March-2010

Analysis From the Data collected that the most of Respondent are aware of online shopping 75% of the respondent aware online shopping and the rest of 25% don’t aware online shopping.

GRAPH 14 PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON CUSTOMERS OPINION ABOUTAWARE ELECTRONIC GOODS SHOPPING

Source-Table -14

Page 86

Interpretation:Above the graph aware of e-shopping opinions of, 75 respondents are aware electronic online good and followed by 25 respondents are not aware electronic goods online shopping. Because risk is theirs.

TABLE: 15 PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON CUSTOMER’S OPINION ABOUT MODE OF PAYMENT MODE OF

NUMBER OF

PERCENTAGE

PAYMENT

RESPONDENTS

Credit card

46

46%

Debit card

22

22%

Payment on Delivery

32

32%

TOTAL

100

100%

Source -Primary Data, 100 Respondents, Feb-March-2010

Analysis Above the shows in table mode of payment while online shopping 46% are use the credit card, and 32% of pay the time of delivery and rest of 22% use debit card.

87

GRAPH 15 PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON CUSTOMER’S OPINION ABOUT MODE OF PAYMENT.

Source -Table -15

Interpretation:Majority of 46 respondents are use credit card while online shopping and followed by 32 respondents are payment on delivery and 22 respondents are use debit card.

TABLE: 16 Page 88

PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON CUSTOMERS OPINION ABOUT ATTRACTIONS IN ONLINE SHOPPING. ATTRACTIONS

NUMBEROF

PERCENTAGE

RESPONDENTS Saves time

46

46%

Discount

14

14%

Quality

6

6%

Home Delivery

12

12%

Comfortable

18

18%

EFFICIENCY

4

4%

TOTAL

100

100%

Source-Primary Data, 100 Respondents, Feb-March-2010

Analysis The above shown table states the attraction, why number of people does not prefer to purchase through Internet. which clearly shows that Save time is the main attraction with 46%, follow by comfortable with 18%, continual by discount and quality and efficiency with14% and 6%.and 4% respectively.

From this it is clear that to become attraction of the net shopping reduce the efficiency and increase the saving time of the confidence of their loyal customer. Which increases the confidence level of the customer and make them purchase on internet?

89

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GRAPH 16 PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON CUSTOMERS OPINION ABOUT ATTRACTIONS IN ONLINE SHOPPING.

Source Table -16

Interpretation:A majority of 46 respondents felt that online shopping save time ,followed by 18 who fell that online shopping is comfortable and 14 respondent of who fell that online shopping is discountable and 12 respondent are fell that home delivery, and 6 respondents fell that online shopping is quality and 4 respondents are fell that online shopping efficiency.

TABLE: 17 CUSTOMERAWARENESSABOUTEBA AND AMAZON.COM.

RESPONSE

NUMBER OF

PERCENTAGE

RESPONDENTS Newspaper

40

40%

Hording

4

4%

91

Cyber cafĂŠ promotion

6

6%

Through other site

38

38%

Other specify

12

12%

Total

100

100%

Source -primary data, 100 respondents, feb-march-2010

Analysis From this statement and Graph it is clear that most of the Respondent i.e 40% of them has stated that news papers the best in providing all sorts of information, followed by through other site with 38%. And then continued by other specify with 12%.cyber cafĂŠ promotion with 6%. Then comes hording with 4%.

GRAPH 17 CUSTOMER AWARENESS ABOUT EBAY AND AMAZON.COM.

Source- Table -17

Interpretation:Based on the above graph that out of 100 respondents approximately 40 respondents aware of eBay and Amazon via news Page 92

paper and 38 respondents are aware the eBay and Amazon through other site and rest of aware the eBay and Amazon 12 respondent are other specify and 6 respondents are cyber café promotion and 4 respondents are aware through hording.

FINDINGS, SUGGESTIONS AND CONCLUSION Summary Of Findings This project had the aim of analyzing and finding out the customer perception toward online shopping. The field work was done with the help of questionnaires and the summary of finding of the study is given below separately as follows: 

Majority of 49% of the respondents within the age group of 20-25 years.



40% of the respondents who responded to the questioner are graduates.



The entire groups of responses belong to the segment of students, employee, salaried Employees,, Professionals and other people.

Among them (45%) of the respondents were students.



More than 75%of the respondents own a pc , but only 35% of the respondents have a net connection..

93



More than 66% of the respondents have purchased the product and service online.



75% of the respondents are would prefer purchase online.



40 % of the respondents surf the purpose of check their mail regularly.



Most of the respondents 48% feel that the products range of available in the amazons and eBay- goods are Average.



.Among the 100 respondents 26% and 25% of them think that eBay Amazon is the best online shopping store.



More than half 60%would prefer shopping on the net.



Most of 49% of the respondent are prefer shopping through online.



Among the respondents 60% majority of the respondents prefer to shop on the net.



30% of the respondents prefer to buy e-ticket and e-goods on the net.



Majority of the respondents (46%) feel that the services at are eBay amazons average.

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

Approximately 47% of the respondents feel that the products available in online stores are affordable.



Approximately 46% of the respondents are using the credit card.



40% of the respondents aware the eBay and Amazon through news paper

Suggestions The project provides the following suggestions: 

Internet will be the key media in times to come. Flexible of marketing and speed of interaction will certainly give a boost to its usage.



The global acceptance of credit card could prove a catalyst in the virtual shopping system.



Strong product branding on the Internet can provide marketers with a powerful advantage over their advertisements have virtual reality.



Advertising has to be mare appealing and specific on its target. This could be achieved when the advertisements have virtual reality.

95

ďƒ˜

Government should establishment consumer protection machinery to monitor Internet purchasing, which could enhance the confidence of public in virtual shopping system.

ďƒ˜

An education program on the use of Internet and its multifarious applications could increase the usability it in all field of life..

Page 96

Conclusion This project was conducted with the zeal of finding out the customer perception towards the online shopping. Based on this information obtained in the course of the project there is a sincere effort to drawn a meaningful conclusion.

Internet today is viewed as user-friendly communication medium and its awareness and usage level is progressively increasing in all segments of the society, may it be students, employees, businessmen or professionals. In this regard it would be right to note that millennium is sure to herald a boom in the Internet, thus making Internet a part of the normal life. Internet has promising note for both the marketers and the consumers at large. The study being conducted in Bangalore was special advantage as Bangalore is honored to be the Silicon Valley having given due importance to the field of computers. The use of Internet has arisen at an elementary personal level ready to spread its tentacles into the workplace and for commercial uses. A considerable proportion of the society has recognized the need of Internet and is constantly accessing it, thus paving way to the large number of cyber centers. It is to be complimented that Bangalore holds one of the largest networks of cyber centers in India.

Internet as a marketing tool has opened up new doors to many companies to conduct business, trade shows, market research, advertising and many more with worldwide acceptance and distribution. Internet is advancing in a rapid rate by increasing the potential of companies to market through the Internet.

Consumerism is the watchword today and consumer awareness has reached new heights. This makes the consumers more vigilant in making 97

purchases. There is a disadvantage on the part of the Internet purchasing as the Internet lacks in consumerism which has brought an unfavorable attitude in the general public, who doubt the safety assurance of the product purchased.

Indian companies and global firms have tried to advertise on Internet. In general it could be stated that advertisements on the Internet do not correlate themselves with Indian consumer psychology. A better guarantee and visual impact could bring a revolutionary effect in the advertisement on the Internet.

The credit card industry also has a greater bearing on the Internet.

In fact that majority of Indian credit cards do not have worldwide acceptance, has further complicated process involved in virtual shopping system.

In spite of all these short comings it is appreciable that the union government broke the monopoly exiting in the Internet industry leading considerable reduction in Internet tariff, which has enhanced the Internet usage. Through in the short run the Internet marketers could feel the hindrance out numbering the advantages but in due course of time marketing through the Internet would turn into an advantage, making way for the Indian companies to successfully compete in the global market.

The consumers who have shopped in the online stores are very satisfied with the services they have experienced. It is going to take some time for this whole system of online shopping to come into regular practice.

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And for majority of the people to use this system it is going to take some time.

In India most of the people use traditional means to buy their online stores and for them to change is going to take a few years. But a category of people especially the elite group are using this system.

If companies like indiatimes eBay Amazon etc. work efficiently towards increasing their customer base and are going to win the confidence of the customers, there is a very bright future for online stores.

99

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Web resources

WWW.ARTICLESBASE.COM/SHOPPING WWW.EZINEARTICLES.COM

visited 11 p.m. on dated 26-2-2010

visited 1.30 p.m . On dated 12-3-2010

HTTP://WWW.AMAZON.COM

visited 8 p.m. On dated 22-2 2010

HTTP://WWW.INDIATIMES.COM

visited 2 a.m. on dated 18 -2 2010

WWW.TARGETMARKITING.COM

visited 11 p.m. on dated 5-3-2010

Books Business research methods 5th chapter page no 97, by Appannaiah Reddy Ramanath, Himalaya Publishing House

Page 100

QUESTIONNAIRE Consumer perception towards online shopping I, am Dilip patidar student of City College. I am in 6th Sem. B.B.M. NAME

:

ADDRESS / No

:

Gender

:

1.AGE GROUP

Male

Female

:

Below 20

20-25

30-35

5-30

Above 35

2. Education 1. Under graduates

2.Graduates

3. Post-graduates

4.Professional

3. Occupation

:

Student

Self Employed

Employee

Others

4. Do you Own Personnel computer?

Yes 5. If yes, is it connected with internet?

101

No

Yes

No

6. If no, where do you browse the Net? Cyber centers

College

Friends

Work Place

Others Specify 7. Would you prefer to purchase Online?

Yes

No

8. If no give reason.

9. Have you purchased any product through online?

Yes

No

10. if yes. What have you purchased?

1. Electronic items

2 Books

3. Music (CD/Cassette)

4. Jewelry

5.train/bus ticket

6. Online recharge

7. Others 11. What is the purpose of visiting the sites?

1. Mail

3.Information

4. Shopping

5.Spend time

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12. Do you prefer shopping on the net?

1. YES

2. NO

3 DEPENDS

13. Are you aware of online electronic items shopping?

Yes

No

14. Where would you prefer to get your Electronic goods?

1. Ebey.com

2. Amazon.com

3. Fabmart.com

4. Local stores

5. Indiatimes.com 15. How would you like to rate the services of eBay and amazon.com?

1. Excellent 3. Average

2.

4.

Good Poor

16. How was the range of products available in the Amazon and eBay electronic goods?

1. Excellent

2.Good

3. Average

4.Poor

17. Did you find the products affordable?

1. Costly

2. Affordable

18. What mode of payment would you prefer?

1. Credit card 3. Payment on delivery

103

2.Debit card

3.Depends

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19. Biggest attraction in online shopping?

1. Saves time

2. Discount

4. Home delivery

5. Comfortable

3. Quality

6. Efficiency 20. How did you come to know about Amazon and EBay? 1. Newspaper 3. Cyber CafĂŠ Promotion

2.Hoarding 4.Through other sites

5. Others (specify) _________________

105