Selling Online Status and Forecast of development * AN OVERVIEW OF HISTORY : It was invented in the UK in 1979 by Michael Aldrich of Redifon Computers The world's first recorded B2B ( Business to business ) online shopping system was Thomson Holidays in March 1981 In 1992 Charles Stack created the first online book store, Book Stacks Unlimited (aka Books.com) [7] In 1994 other advances took place, such as online banking and the opening of an online pizza shop by Pizza Hut. [6] 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. [6] . * Current status : Online selling and shopping process : completely through the Internet and credit cards Selling : sellers create an e-store/e-shop ( no need a real shop ) – websites, update all kinds of products in stock ( including price, overview, images) to the websites and provide advertisements to customers Shopping : shoppers enter the e-stores, click on the chosen products, add the items to cart,pay money and finish the buying process Method of payment : credit card ( popular ), Cash on delivery, Cheque, wire transfer, postal mony order,… Method of delivery : download, shipping, drop shipping, in-store pick-up Products : vary among clothes, food, household appliances, books ( most bought ), electronic devices,… ect for all purposes Vary from brandnew ones to second-hand ones E-stores : various ones : amazon, ebay, itune Distribution :all over the world where internet and transportation is available ( esp South Korea ) Price : fixed, offer discount, ( include shipping fee ) Recorded statistics : According to a recent global survey conducted by The Nielsen Company, over 85 percent of the world’s online population has used the Internet to make a purchase, up 40 percent from two years ago, and more than half of Internet users are regular online shoppers, making online purchases at least once a month. ( October to November 2007 ) When The Nielsen Company conducted its first survey into online shopping habits two years ago, only 10 percent of the world’s online population (627 million) had made a purchase over the Internet. Within two years, this number has surged by approximately 40 percent – to a staggering 875 million. Ebates.com : Online shopping outpacing offline spending Despite economic depression, online sales through Ebates.com grew 57% year on year ( bizreport.com) Problems arising : fraud and security ( phishing, computer security, identity theft ), faulty products * Potential : According to a recent report from eMarketer, e-commerce in Europe will reach 323 billion euros ($407 billion) by 2011. That is an average 25% growth rate each year from 2007 to 2011. A report released Friday by the price comparison service uSwitch, 40 percent of retail sales in the UK will be made online by 2020. Such sales made up only 2 percent of all UK sales in 2002, but will reach 15 percent this year, with total sales worth around £40 billion. Why selling online? The development of the Internet : broadband costs have fallen while speed is increasing. This makes it easier and less expensive to shop online than it is to go out and shop in brick and mortar stores. Another factor adding to increased online sales is the fact that there are now over 13 million broadband subscribers in the UK. The rapid pace of life and the demand of customers: convenient and fast way of shopping The potential profits brought to e-retailers A variety of products . Selling Online Status and Forecast of development * AN OVERVIEW OF HISTORY : It was invented in the UK in 1979 by Michael Aldrich of Redifon. rapid pace of life and the demand of customers: convenient and fast way of shopping The potential profits brought to e-retailers A variety of products