The Future of E-commerce

Research proposal on the Future of E-commerce Name: Course: Professor Name: (April, 2013) Introduction E-commerce has changed the traditional way of doing business. It is changing the way products reach their potential customers making them buy the products faster and avoid the stress of moving from one store to another in search of products: it is slowly killing the brick and mortar kind of business. Many scholars argue that e-commerce will soon change the norm of retailing permanently. This is true as recent reports shows that many people are seeking other alternatives of doing business since they are becoming busier, time conscious, looking for convenience and so only hence shifting to E-commerce. The shift from the norm activates the need for more advanced/new technologies that will enhance the on-line shopping. In addition, the rate of competition is driving business leaders crazy as they continually look for other better ways to ensure they remain relevant in their industries. They are looking for other new kinds of innovations which will make their customers better, modify options and generate more channels to choose from. This research paper will evaluate the future of E-commerce in relation to day to day changing of technology. Background and previous works E-commerce was born in 1960’s through the introduction of electronic data interface which allowed companies to complete transactions with each other. It was not until 1980’s when the innovators had the capacity to introduce a standard called ASC X12 that made it possible for the companies to do transactions reliably and quickly. In 1990’s the introduction of point and click capabilities was invaded by Netscape. From this day, business was never the same again. The beginning of Internet shopping fashion was born. In 1995 the first and the world’s largest E-commerce companies come into being; Amazon.com and eBay.com. Since then other companies have shifted to this new innovation. Consumers have been able to buy products and request for service over the Internet. People have been able to find products overseas have them shipped and pay on-line without leaving their homes. The entry of the Internet has affected many companies having them shift their strategies of operations from manual to digital. Consumers have also been on the receiving end as they have also shifted their focus on the new ways of shopping. Communication has been made easier as people could reach each other anytime and any where. On the other hand, the popularity of the Internet has been affected by hackers leading to loss of faith to many prospect customers. Many people have lost their valuables through these criminal and at the same time increasing the cost to on-line firms as they are forced to invest in better protection software. The demographic of E-commerce have changed over the years. In the mid 90’s the on-line shoppe...