Friday, September 27, 2013

The E-mall

Week 4 

There are many things that we can do on the Internet. Shopping and acquiring products and services is one of many of things that we can do on the Internet. And really, who do not do any shopping at all in their life? Buying daily necessities is also a form of shopping, albeit its not the slow, browsing, slow walking kind of shopping but it is shopping nevertheless. 

Shopping is something that is really fun to do but it involves changing and leaving the house and taking transport to the mall. And sometimes after all these troubles, you never got what you want because its out of stock at the mall or the outlet that have the item is in another mall. And occasionally, the item that you want is not even in Singapore, or whatever country you are in at that time. It may be some special edition that is only available in another country. Its really frustrating to physically shop sometimes. 

And this is where the Internet comes in handy. Now, a lot of shops or product owners have set up shop online. They have their own websites that showcase what they are selling and offers online purchases and shipment to the purchaser without the need to meet physically. And the best part of this is that since international shipping has become faster with the invention of the plane, most online stores ship worldwide. The ability to track our packages has also made it easier and safer to ship from another country. Many companies has set up their own online websites that allows for a bigger audience than those that are in their immediate proximity. 

 This is a company based overseas that offers scratch prove (Warranty) full body protector for your device. It is (to my knowledge) impossible to buy such a product in singapore. However, they offer the option to ship to another country besides their own and this was how I managed to get this protector as a gift once.  

This is a company that sells full body designed protector for devices ranging from phones to tablets to laptops. It also allows for people to customise their own designs and create it into skins for their devices. There are similar services in Singapore such as this one. But the difference is the price and the designs. (Personally, I like this one more) 

These companies are not based in Singapore, yet people in this country knows about their existence and the services that they provide. This is how powerful the web is and how the web can help companies and businesses expands beyond their own shoreline. 

Besides helping established companies to blossom over the seas, the web has also enable the set up of new platforms to help people sell their products. These people have no companies or physical outlets. Many of them are looking to make some extra money selling their products online. These platforms, such as Qoo10, eBay and Etsy to name a few, helps individuals sell items without the need to set up a webpage or buy a domain name and what not. It also makes it easier for people to locate what they want as search bars pulls up similar searches in one page, easy for the consumer to see. 
This is Etsy, a platform for individuals to sell their handmade items. They have shops from the states to China to Romania. 

In recent years, a new trend has occurred. Something call mobile commence. Simply put, its when products and services are brought to the people at their fingertips. Meaning? Applications and online shopping from our phones! If one think about it, alot of services and products have also moved onto mobile phone platforms. It used to be mobile phone browser compatible. Now most services and products have their own application to be downloaded into mobile phones. This allows for their users to have a more convenient way to purchase goods or services from the companies and also to browse their content. 

Etsy letting their patrons know that they have an application available on these mobile platforms. 

Our own Singaporeans also use the web to establish themselves and their business. Many become really successful and some of them even manage to open their own shops. 
This was first established as a website and now they have their own store at Orchard Central. 

With the web, many new services also become available. Because of the dynamic interface and possibilities, many new service can be created and cater to the people of the world. 

Food Panda delivers food to your door step from restaurants near you so you do not have to leave your house and still can get food from the restaurants that do not have their own delivery services. You simply enter your postal code and they will tell you what restaurants are available in your vicinity and you can choose from the list and have food deliver to your door step. 

The benefits of the internet on goods and services: 
1. create awareness 
2. expend to other countries.
3. allow for individuals to create and sell items without much capital.
4. take away the frustrating feelings one feel when unable to obtained something they want in stores. 
5. create new businesses that were almost impossible physically

The internet has created not just a place to share information and find friends and network, it has also create a place for people to expend their businesses and cater to a larger audience. It has also create a place for individuals to obtain the goods or services that they might not otherwise be able to find in their own country. Plus allowing companies and sellers to expand out of their own shorelines. 

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