The eight unique features of ecommerce technology.

Over the past 15 years I have become accustomed to the availability and convenience of shopping online. It wasnt until my son asked me one day, Why do we need to go to the store for that? Cant you just order it online? did I truly comprehend the significance of this new technology and the impact it has had on traditional commerce, and information sharing. Traditional trips to the store or local library can now easily be accomplished without leaving your home. E-commerce (is) the use of the Internet and the Web to transact business. More formally, digitally enabled commercial transactions between and among organizations and individuals. It has created a market place with significant advantages through eight unique features afforded to e-commerce transactions. These features include ubiquity, global reach, universal standards, richness, interactivity, information density, personalizationcustomization, and social technology. Not that long ago, if you wanted to buy a product, it had to be readily available in your area. In order to purchase the product, you had to travel to the physical location of the store, or call a catalogue distribution outlet, during operating hours. This system for commerce was limited by time and space factors. A very powerful feature of the internet is its ubiquity, it is available just about everywhere, at all times. It liberates the market from being restricted to a physical space and makes it possible to shop from your desktop, at home, at work, or even from your car, using mobile commerce.In todays hyper competitive market, companies that offer products and services online can capture consumers at anytime of the day, increasing sales as a result. Without ubiquity, making a sale at 3 a.m. was impossible without incurring the personnel expense of a 24 hour operational format. Another key feature that e-commerce provides is its global reach, or the number of potential consumers with the ability to fulfill a transaction. E-commerce extends local markets to global markets, dramatically increasing a companies number of potential customers. Before e-commerce, most companies operated on a local market basis. Larger companies were afforded the luxury of regional and national markets; however, global market reach was experienced only by a few of the largest firms in existence. E-commerce technology permits commercial transactions to cross cultural and national boundaries far more conveniently and cost-effectively than is true in traditional commerce. Essentially, ecommerce has created the possibility for a market equivalent to the global population, available to even the smallest of businesses. In the past, the few companies that could compete at a global market, did so through many different systems based on cultural and social aspects of the host country. Such commerce systems varied from one country to the next. E-commerce has decreased this affect tremendously through the use of universal standards which are shared by all nations around our world. In addition, these universal standards help lower market entry costs and search costs while promoting price discovery capabilities for the consumer or purchasing agent. Universal standards also develop networking externalities benefits that arise

because everyone uses the same technology. Another powerful feature of e-commerce is known as information richness. Information richness refers to the complexity and content of a message. In traditional markets, sales forces offered very rich information. However, this system had its limitations. Prior to the development of the Web, there was a trade-off between richness and reach: the larger the audience reached, the less rich the message. With the use of e-commerce and the Web, information richness does not have to suffer as a result of a larger audience. The Web provides the possibility to individualized marketing messages through interactivity. As a result, companies can now enjoy reach without sacrificing information richness. As mentioned above, interactivity is a great feature afforded through e-commerce. The Web offers a 2 way communication process which was not afforded through traditional mediums such as newspapers, magazines, radio ads and television. The Web allows consumers to control what information will be presented, in what order, and for how long. A Web site can be categorized according to the control of the consumer over the communication process; therefore, different levels of interactivity may be found. Through the use of interactivity, the Web provides ways to interact with users in ways similar to face-to-face occurrences. Information is king in todays world. The Web offers a great solution for this need through information density, the total amount and quality of information available to all market participants.Unlike print media publications and catalogues, the Web provides instant access to information. As such information changes, web sites can be edited in real-time and updated often without the expense of reproduction. As a result, information is more accurate and relevant to timeliness. Information density offers reduced costs and increased levels of service which generates revenue. However, as a result of this benefit, price and cost transparencies exists to the consumer as well as price discrimination. Many see price and cost transparencies as a benefit to consumers, but many businesses do not want this form of information made public, limiting strategic initiatives and possible related advantages. Another extremely powerful aspect of e-commerce not readily and affordably available to traditional commerce is the customization and personalization of marketing efforts made possible through the Internet. For example, watching TV, the viewer only has the option to change channels. They can not personalize their viewing experience. Same applies to reading a newspaper, magazine or listening to the radio. It is a concrete medium that is presented as is without the ability to offer a unique, individualized experience capitalizing on individual preferences. The Web offers consumers the ability to adjust preferences according to their likes and dislikes. For example, the web site Hulu.com has completely changed the television experience, personalizing entertainment. In the past, if you missed your favorite show due to an uncontrollable schedule conflict (barring the use of a VCR), you were out of luck until you could catch the show in syndication. In todays Web powered environment, you can simply go online and watch the show. Hulu.com is just one example and there are numerous other sites that all give control to the individual regarding time and place decisions. Viewers are still subject to advertisements as a condition of using the site, however they are far less in frequency than on the original show. With extremely busy schedules, this convenience and control afforded to individuals provides tremendous incentives for loyalty. Another example involves reading the Wall Street Journal. It requires a lot of time and effort sifting through numerous articles related to your search. Similar time consuming efforts are

required for looking up stock prices that are limited to time of value at print. Now consider the value offered through the Wall Street Journal online. Viewers can set preferences to display articles only related to certain criteria, and preset stock tickers to display real-time pricing. Time and convenience factors create unique and powerful individual experiences for the consumer. The final feature of e-commerce that trumps traditional commerce is the ability for user generated content through socialized networks such as Facebook and MySapce. Traditional commerce and marketing mediums were based on one to many. The Web has changed that and now provides a many-to-many delivery method, allowing users to create and share content in the form of text, videos, music, or photos with a worldwide community.Such community networks allow consumers to share information both personally as well as commercially. For example, the site AddThis.com provides web sites with the ability to easily offer links to favorite social networking sites to comment, share or promote information the viewers decides is worthy. With one click, a viewer can share product related information, a video, photos, etc. on related social network sites. A great example of this is the E*Trade baby commercials that became so popular. Prior to social networking, individuals had to search for these commercials. And prior to the Web, the only way to view the commercial was to be lucky enough to see it when it aired. Now, with one click, viewers can share this commercial on their Facebook page, promoting this service to all of their friends who they network with through the site. It translates to free promotions for E*Trade as viewers spread the commercial through out the Web. Consumers interest in community is mushrooming. Community is, arguably, the fastest growing online activity. E-commerce has opened new doors to consumers and businesses. These unique dimensions of e-commerce technology suggest many new possibilities for marketing and selling a powerful set of interactive, personalized, and rich messages are available for delivery to segmented, targeted audiences. As technologies used over the Internet continue to develop, this experience will only continue to gain momentum, providing benefits to businesses and consumers

THE WEAKNESS
The greatest weakness is, there is no interaction between Customer database and Supply Module socurrent customers behavior is neglected in existinginfrastructures resource allocation which is a bigquestion mark. The whole infrastructure is based on current andhistorical analysis of customers data so minor manipulation attack can wobble the wholeinfrastructure

There should be visitors behavior analysis{why he/she didnt purchase? They were justsurfers or just return back / drop the item inregistration phase configurations due to securityreasons?} Download delays as it is a major problem incase of digital products due to heavy traffic. Language problem Improper handling of customers complains

SOLUTIONS

Assuring the database security by usingfirewalls Visitors Behavior analysis software Download accelerator {Region wise division} Language converter Software Email Management system

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E-COMMERCE TECHNOLOGY, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND DEVELOPMENT

For e-commerce to succeed, a complete set of hardware, software, and network components must be chosen carefully and integrated to support a large volume of transactions with customers, suppliers, and other business partners worldwide. Online consumers frequently complain that poor Web site performance (e.g., slow response time and "lost" orders) drives them to abandon some e-commerce sites in favor of those with better, more reliable performance. This section provides a brief overview of the key technology infrastructure components. Hardware A Web server complete with the appropriate software is key to successful c-commerce. The amount of storage capacity and computing power required of the Web server depends primarily on two things-the software that must run on the server and the volume of ccommerce transactions that must be processed. Although business managers and information systems staff can define the software to be used, it is difficult for them to estimate how much

traffic the site will generate. As a result, the most successful c-commerce solutions arc designed to be highly scalable so that they can be upgraded to meet unexpected user traffic. Many companies decide that a third-party Web service provider is the best way to meet their initial c-commerce needs. A Web service rents out space on its computer system and provides a high-speed connection to the Internet, which minimizes the initial setup costs for ccommerce. The service provider can also provide personnel trained to operate, troubleshoot, and manage the Web server. Other companies decide to take full responsibility for acquiring, operating, and supporting their own Web server hardware and software, but this approach requires considerable up-front capital and a set of skilled and trained individuals. Whichever approach is taken, there must be adequate hardware backup to avoid a major business disruption in case of a failure of the primary Web server. Software Each c-commerce Web server must have software to perform a number of fundamental services, including security and identification authentication, retrieval and sending of Web pages, and Web page construction. The two most popular Web server software packages are Apache HTTP Server and Microsoft Internet Information Server. Web site development tools include features such as an HTML/visual Web page editor (e.g., Microsoft`s FrontPage, NetStudio`s NetStudio, SofrQuad`s HoTMetaL Pro), software development kits that include sample code and code development instructions for languages such as Java or Visual Basic, and Web page upload support to move Web pages from a development PC to the Web site. Which tools are bundled with the Web server software depends on which Web server software you select. Web page construction software uses Web editors to produce Web pages-either static or dynamic. Static Web pages always contain the same information-for example, a page that provides text about the history of the company or a photo of corporate headquarters. Dynamic Web pages contain variable information and are built in response to a specific Web visitor`s request. For example, if a Web site visitor inquires about the availability of a certain product by entering a product identification number, the Web server will search the product inventory database and generate a dynamic Web page based on the current product information it found, thus fulfilling the visitor`s request. This same request by another visitor later in the day may yield different results due to ongoing changes in product inventory. A server that handles dynamic content must be able to access information from a variety of databases. The use of open database connectivity enables the Web server to assemble information from different database management systems, such as SQL Server, Oracle, and Informix. Once you have located or built a host server, including the hardware, operating system, and Web server software, you can begin to investigate and install c-commerce software. There are three core tasks that c-commerce software must support: catalog management, product configuration, and shopping cart facilities. Catalog management software combines different product data formats into a standard format for uniform viewing, aggregating, and integrating catalog data into a central repository for easy access, retrieval, and updating of pricing and availability changes. The data required to support large catalogs is almost always stored in a database on a computer that is separate

from, but accessible to, the c-commerce server machine. The effort to build and maintain online catalogs can be substantial. Corporate Express sells furniture, paper, computer supplies, and office equipment. It maintains catalogs tailored to each customer`s format, terminology, and buying practices. If certain customers don`t buy office furniture from Corporate Express, office furniture is blocked from their version of the catalog. Corporate Express also maintains a list of items that each customer orders frequently, as well as the special terms and prices that the customer has negotiated. Such attention to customization is greatly appreciated by customers because it makes their ordering process easier. Corporate buyers also appreciate the fact that their employees can only purchase prearranged items so that "maverick" buying is eliminated. Customers need help when an item they are purchasing has many components and options. Product configuration software tools assist B2B salespeople with matching their company`s products to customer needs. Buyers use the new Web-based product configuration software to build the product they need online with little or no help from salespeople. For example, Dell customers use product configuration software to build the computer of their dreams. Use of such software can expand into the service arena as well, with consumer loans and financial services to help people decide what sort of loan or insurance is best for them. Today many c-commerce sites use an electronic shopping cart to track the items selected for purchase, allowing shoppers to view what is in their cart, add new items to it, or remove items from it. To order an item, the shopper simply clicks that item. All the details about itincluding its price, product number, and other identifying information-are stored automatically. If the shopper later decides to remove one or more items from the cart, he or she can do so by viewing the cart`s contents and removing any unwanted items. When the shopper is ready to pay for the items, he or she clicks a button (usually labeled "proceed to checkout") and begins a purchase transaction. Clicking the "Checkout" button displays another screen that usually asks the shopper to fill out billing, shipping, and payment method information and to confirm the order. Internet Protocol Address Just like telephone numbers, each computer that is connected to the Internet has a unique Internet protocol (IP) address. One IP address consists of 32 bits and is divided into four 8-bit segments, which are separated by a period. For example, "126.78.231.4" is an IP address that can uniquely identify a computer on the Internet. By typing in this address, users can access the site. If the Internet connection is temporarily set up, such as America Online users, the Internet server will temporarily assign an IP address for you. Since the IP address is very hard to remember, a domain name corresponding to each address is used to reduce the complexity. A domain name consists of two levels: top-level domain names are classifications of different purposes of the usage. For example, "edu" stands for educational institute and "gov" stands for governments. Other top-level domain names include countries such as "us" (USA), "cn" (CHINA), and "mx" (MEXICO). The lower-level domain name is a unique name, which identifies the server. For example, IBM and FORD are lower-level domain names. The combination of the top-level domain name and the lowerlevel domain name can therefore identify the type of business and its country. For example, wwwibm.com represents that IBM is a commercial entity (.com), or www.csulb.edu states that "edu" is an educational institute. Unlike the IP address, there is no limit to the number of

possible domain names. A single server may have several domain names as long as there is a way to map between domain names and their corresponding IP addresses. Such a database is kept in the DNS server, or name server, accessible by a router. In other words, after a user types in the domain name, it is transferred to a corresponding IP address and the server with that IP address is accessed. The coordinator of domain names is known as the Internet Network Information Center, or InterNIC. This organization regulates the way domain names are used (see Exhibit 3).