Ecommerce and Web
Malls
Tony Leech
 Ecommerce is one of the fastest growing
business ventures available today.
 More and more people have stopped visiting
malls, because they are crowded, take up a lot
of time to get to, and to shop in, and items are
sometimes out of stock.
 Many consumers are now shopping on the
internet.
 Sales on the Internet reached more than 12
billion in 2003.
The main types of Ecommerce
 E-Tailing
 Web Malls
 Personal Selling
E-Tailers
 Retail stores- Target, Circuit City,
Wal-Mart.
 Catalogs- LL Bean, Pottery Barn.
 Internet Only- Amazon.COM, CDnow.
 Restaurants- Portillos, Lou Malnati’s.
 Anyone can start their own E-Business
 Business.Com helps you set it up.
Advantages of E-Tailers
 You can shop from home.
 No driving around looking for a particular
store.
 No waiting in long lines.
 Wide variety of merchandise available at
the click of a button.
 Searching for products is much easier.
 Its easy to use, and doesn’t take a lot of
time.
Disadvantages of E-Tailers
 Not receiving your item in a timely matter.
 Item gets damaged during shipping.
 Clothes or shoes purchased may not be right
size.
 If item needs to be returned, the consumer is
out for the shipping costs.
 Many consumers are wary of putting there
personal information, such as credit card
numbers out on the internet.
Web Malls
 A host site that acts like an actual mall.
 Consumer is able to search by product
category, and available links are posted.
 WebSquare.Com contains many
different product categories, with links to
sites by corporations such as Best Buy,
Amazon, and Toys “R” Us.
 These sites work as a link to other ETailing sites, and get paid for advertising.
Advantages/Disadvantages of
Web Malls
 All the products you may need are
located in one place.
 They offer discounts on certain products.
 The site only contains links to larger
corporations, so if you are looking for an
abstract item, you will not find it.
Personal Selling Sites
 EBay and classifieds are the most
popular.
 These sites have exploded in popularity,
with many new versions now available.
 These sites offer just about any kind of
product that you may need.
 Items such as autos, antique records,
baseball cards, rugs, and many other
abstract things can be found.
EBay Sellers
 Buying and selling on EBay has become
such a phenomenon that over 400,000
people are making a living selling
merchandise on EBay.
 Its relatively inexpensive to sell your
items, so anyone can do it.
 Even well established businesses are
selling their new, and old merchandise.
Weird EBay Sales
 The Internet- asking price 1 million.
 UFO detector- $135
 The meaning of life- $3.26
 Russian Test Space Shuttle- $25,000
 Vampire Killing Kit- $4,500
 Real Shrunken Head- $25
 Ghost in a Jar- No actual sale
 Serial Killers Fingernails- $9.99
Advantages of Personal
Selling Sites
 Consumers can find anything they are
looking for.
 Items are auctioned so there is usually
no set price, making it possible to get
items cheaper than retail price.
 Entrepreneurs are making a living selling
merchandise, so it helps stimulate the
economy.
Disadvantages to Personal
Selling Sites.
 Dishonest sellers/False advertising.
 Shipping problems.
 Fraudulence is usually not reported.
Summary
 Ecommerce is something that is
continuing to grow more an more.
 As more companies are going online, it
adds a lot of convenience to the
consumer who is now able to find
whatever they want easily, and swiftly.