Article Type: Research Article Article Citation: Olunlade B.A.,
and Efozia N. F.. (2021). INTELLIGENT WAYS FOR ENHANCING THE PROCESS OF
PLACING, RETRIEVING, AND RECEIVING ORDERS FOR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES FROM A
VIRTUAL SHOP. International Journal of Research -GRANTHAALAYAH, 9(2), 193-202. https://doi.org/10.29121/granthaalayah.v9.i2.2021.3237 Received Date: 22 January 2021 Accepted Date: 28 February 2021 Keywords: Virtual Shop Intelligent Enhancing Process Orders Doing of business has been made easier, better, and faster with the use of the Internet, this has led to the changes in the way people do business. There is now a rapid worldwide growth trend towards virtual stores also referred to as digital shops or stores or e-commerce. The paper discussed the ways to intelligently enhance the process of placing, receiving and retrieving orders on products and services from the virtual shops by clients.
1. INTRODUCTIONWith the rapid growth in technology usage for
conducting commercial transactions in business organisations over traditional
methods of direct physical buying and selling from shops and stores, the
internet is now the means most business organisation use to sell their
products. This brings about the need for virtual shops which is on for a while
now. It also formed the basis for the enhancement of the processes involved in
virtual shop that would enable customer and prospective buyers of business organisations
goods and services to place, as well as retrieve and receive orders needed to
be intelligently done in order to boost ROI and customers’ satisfaction. The Internet being a global network of
connections and also the world’s fastest growing commercial market place, with
its standard in business which is significant and accepted as a developed
business standard by which clients and business persons do come together to
carry out buying and selling process. This has led firms and businesses of today
to incorporate the concept of e-commerce in most levels of their operations, to
the point that some traditional companies without Internet facilities now
integrated it into their businesses. And so, many physical retail stores have
expanded their marketing prospect through the Internet, by having both a
virtual and a physical store, this guarantees them the best of both worlds. To boost the digital market business of
organisations, high-volume websites, such as Yahoo!, Amazon.com and eBay, now
offer hosting services for online stores and to retailers for their products
and services. These stores are presented as part of an integrated navigation
framework and the collections of online stores are sometimes known as virtual
shopping malls or online marketplaces (UKEssays, 2018). E-commerce and online (virtual or digital
store) shop has numerous benefits, for this reason many sales persons have to
know how to sell their brand’s products and services on the internet in such a
way that buyers who these days do a lot of research on various brands before
buying directly in the virtual shops via their devices, will need to be
attracted and then be loyal to a particular brand. It implies the sales, (that
is digital sales) personnel must be intelligent enough to enhance their
marketing skills especially as it pertains to the process of how buyers should
place orders, retrieve, receive and pay for their orders within stipulated time
frame and at minimum cost. The
digital sales personnel could be intelligent agent software placed in the
website hosting a virtual shop, with all the features of intelligence that
would be enhancing the placing, receiving and retrieving of orders by
customers. 2.
RELATED
LITERATURES
According
to Wikipedia September, 2020, Online
shopping is a form of electronic commerce which allows consumers to
directly buy goods or services from a seller over the Internet using a web browser. That is consumers find a product of
interest by visiting the website of the retailer directly or by searching
among alternative vendors using a shopping search
engine,
which displays the same product's availability and pricing at different
e-retailers. Presently, customers can shop online using a range of different
computers and devices, including desktop computers, laptops, tablet computers and smartphones. Online
shop is presently evoking the physical analogy of buying products or services at a regular "bricks-and-mortar" retailer or shopping center. This process is called what is referred to
as business-to-consumer (B2C) online shopping. Next, if an online store is set
up to enable businesses to buy from other businesses, the process is called business-to-business (B2B) online shopping. With a typical
online store customer are able to browse the firm's range of products and
services, view photos or images of the products, along with information about
the product specifications, features and prices. Usually,
Online stores enable shoppers to use "search" features to find
specific models, brands or items. The online customers must have access to the
Internet and a valid method of payment in order to complete a transaction, such as
a credit card, an Interactive enabled debit card, or a service such as PayPal. As for physical products such as paperback books or clothes, the
retailer ships the products to the customer while for digital products, such as
digital audio files of songs or software, the retailer sends the file to the customer
over the Internet. When
compared with conventional retail shopping, the information environment of
virtual shopping is enhanced by providing additional product information such
as comparative products and services, as well as various alternatives and
attributes of each alternative, and so on. Two major dimensions of information
load are complexity and novelty. Complexity refers to the number of different
elements or features of a site, often the result of increased information
diversity. Novelty involves the unexpected, suppressed, new, or unfamiliar
aspects of the site. The novelty dimension may keep consumers exploring a
shopping site, whereas the complexity dimension may induce impulse purchases. Of note online shopping is seen
as the customers shopping behaviour to shop online. Online
retail also referred to as virtual store or shop dates as far back as the 1990s
if not before such as in the 1980s where Tesco and Asda dabbled with home
shopping services via computer in the mid-1980s but with the invention of the
world wide web (WWW) by Tim Berners-Lee then comes the widespread consumer use
of the internet becoming a possibility. From 1995 came Amazon which was
launched as an online book, next was ebay, Sainsbury, Blackwells, Toys, and so
on, there were at that time 16million users on the internet, but as at 2019
there has being over a trillion users of the internet as well as buying and
selling online being done, due to the exponential growth of the internet usage
by persons worldwide (Finona, 2019). The
electronic commerce, commonly known as E-commerce or e-commerce, which has to
do with trading in products or services conducted via computer networks such as
the Internet, draws on technologies such as mobile commerce, electronic funds
transfer, supply chain management, Internet marketing, online transaction
processing, electronic data interchange (EDI), inventory management systems,
and automated data collection systems. Presently most electronic commerce uses
the World Wide Web at least at one point in its transaction's life-cycle,
although it may encompass a wider range of technologies such as e-mail, mobile
devices, social media, and telephones. Also,
E-Business is the term used to describe the information systems and
applications that support and drive business processes, most often using web
technologies. It allows companies to link their internal and external processes
more efficiently and effectively, and work more closely with suppliers and
partners to better satisfy the needs and expectations of their customers,
leading to improvements in overall business performance. While a website is one
of the most common implementations, E-Business is much more than just a web
presence. There is a vast array of internet technologies all designed to help
businesses work smarter not harder. E-commerce refers to online transactions -
buying and selling of goods and/or services over the Internet. It covers online
transactions, but also extends to all Internet based interactions with business
partners, suppliers and customers such as: selling direct to consumers,
manufacturers and suppliers; monitoring and exchanging information; auctioning
surplus inventory; and collaborative product design. These online interactions
are aimed at improving or transforming business processes and efficiency (Saimunur, 2014). Furthermore,
Virtual shopping is the process of buying goods and services from merchants who
sell on the Internet and people can purchase just about anything from companies
that provide their products online. Online shopping is a form of Electronic
Commerce. E-commerce or Electronic commerce, is a subset of E-Business (a
company that does all or most of its transactions through the Internet), is the
purchasing, selling, and exchanging of goods and services over computer
networks (such as the Internet) through which transactions or terms of sale are
performed electronically. Increase in sales. Increase in customers, ability to
be open 24/7, instant processing of transactions. Increased business reach. Use
electronic payment refers to paperless monetary transactions. These business
transactions occur either as business-to-business (B2B), business- to-consumer
(B2C), consumer-to-consumer (C2C) or consumer-to-business (C2B). The terms
e-commerce and e-business are often used interchangeably. The term E- Tail
(electronic retailing) is also sometimes used in reference to transactional
processes for E-Shopping or Online Shopping. E-Shopping or Online Shopping
E-Shopping is the browsing and purchase of goods using computer (Internet) or
Television catalogue; also called Home Shopping. Online Shopping is a form of
e-commerce which allows customers to directly buy goods form seller over the
Internet (Kusum, 2016). Also,
every 50 years or so, retailing undergoes this kind of disruption. A century
and a half ago, the growth of big cities and the rise of railroad networks made
possible the modern department store. Mass-produced automobiles came along 50 years later, and soon shopping
malls lined with specialty retailers were dotting the newly forming suburbs and
challenging the city-based department stores. The 1960s and 1970s saw the
spread of discount chains such as Walmart, Kmart, and the like and, soon after,
big-box “category killers” such as Circuit City and Home Depot, all of them
undermining or transforming the old-style mall. Each wave of change doesn’t
eliminate what came before it, but it reshapes the landscape and redefines
consumer expectations, often beyond recognition. Retailers relying on earlier
formats either adapt or die out as the new ones pull volume from their stores
and make the remaining volume less profitable. Like most
disruptions, digital retail technology got off to a shaky start. A bevy of
internet-based retailers in the 1990s—Amazon.com, Pets.com, and pretty much
everythingelse.com—embraced what they called online shopping or electronic
commerce. These fledgling companies ran wild until a combination of
ill-conceived strategies, speculative gambles, and a slowing economy burst the
dot-com bubble. The ensuing collapse wiped out half of all e‑commerce
retailers and provoked an abrupt shift from irrational exuberance to economic
reality. Today,
however, that economic reality is well established. The research firm Forrester
estimates that e-commerce is now approaching $200 billion in revenue in the
United States alone and accounts for 9% of total retail sales, up from 5% five
years ago. The corresponding figure is about 10% in the United Kingdom, 3% in
Asia-Pacific, and 2% in Latin America. Globally, digital retailing is probably
headed toward 15% to 20% of total sales, though the proportion will vary
significantly by sector. Moreover, much digital retailing is now highly
profitable. Amazon’s five-year average return on investment, for example, is
17%, whereas traditional discount and department stores average 6.5%. What we
are seeing today is only the beginning. Soon it will be hard even to define
e-commerce, let alone measure it (Darrell, 2011). Enhancing
intelligently the placing, receiving and retrieving process of a virtual shop
implies a smarter, quicker, more responsive process or ways of placing,
receiving and retrieving orders. This process would be put in place by the
merchant in its website that host its virtual shop such that clients would be
able to make orders with ease and get response as par receiving and retrieving
their orders as at when due with little or no constraints. Common
characteristics of all these types of virtual operations are: ·
Use
of information and communications technology to allow dispersed operations ·
Reduced
importance (even collapse) of time and space ·
New
kinds of networking organizational structures, often dynamic in nature ·
Changing
ways of interfacing with customers and markets ·
New
ways of working for employees and associates (such as business partners,
suppliers, customers and so on). 2.1. ADVANTAGES OF VIRTUAL SHOP (ONLINE)
The
advantages of digital retailing are increasing as innovations flood the market.
For instance, Amazon has already earned valuable patents on keystone
innovations such as 1-Click checkout and an online system that allows consumers
to exchange unwanted gifts even before receiving them. Digital retailers drive
innovation by spending heavily on recruiting, wages, and bonuses to attract and
retain top technical talent. They were also among the first to utilize cloud
computing (which dramatically lowers entry and operating costs) and to enhance
marketing efficiency through social networks and online advertising (Darrell,
2011). The use
of the internet for commercial transaction has now taken over the traditional
method used by business organisation. So, businesses now place their goods and
services’ online, thereby having what is called virtual (online) shop or store.
As the internet has no constraint as par limit to what websites can display,
buyers with analytical mindset have the opportunity of getting the best out of
the lots of same or similar brands displayed on the internet after a good
search has been done. The following are the benefits of virtual (online) shop (Money-Matters, 2020); ·
Convenience
of online shopping ·
No
pressure shopping ·
It
saves time ·
Comparison ·
Availability
of Virtual shop 365days, 24/7 ·
Online
tracking ·
It
saves money 2.2. LIMITATIONS OF VIRTUAL (ONLINE) SHOPS
Despite
its benefits, virtual store/shop does have some limitations, such as; ·
Delay
in delivery ·
Lack
of significant discounts ·
Lack
of touch and feel of merchandise such as clothes cannot be tried on for sizing
and fitness on customer ·
Lack
of interactivity such price negotiation that can be done in physical stores ·
Lack
of shopping experience such as smart sales attendant, scents, fun atmosphere,
etc ·
Lack
of close examination of the product to be bought ·
Fraud
concerns ·
Privacy
of personal information is a significant issue for some consumers. Many
consumers wish to avoid spam and telemarketing which could result from
supplying contact information to an online merchant. 3.
METHODOLOGY
Incorporating
intelligent agents in virtual shop website is a valuable way to achieve the
intelligent enhancing of the process of placing, receiving and retrieving of
orders for products and services. This would be achievable as the
characteristics of agent technology would assist in ensuring goods and services
are placed in the right order for ease of access by clients and receiving and
retrieving of such orders. The features of agent technology as par being able
to autonomously act proactively, adaptively and reactively by itself or through
communication with other agents intelligently is to persistently achieve the
task assigned to it on behalf of its users or other agents. With such
agents in the virtual shop clients can be directed appropriately and their
questions and needs met accurately so decisions would be made as par placing,
receiving and retrieving orders with ease and confidently. So clients would
want to visit such shops website regularly as well as introduce other clients/customers
to do same because of their positive experience with such intelligent process
of placing, receiving and retrieving orders in the virtual shop of such brands. Other key
processes are using barcoding and radio frequency controls, which offer standard
ways of reading and recording data, but the physical materials handling
logistics and ways of doing things in each warehouse are somewhat unique to
each business. This is driven by factors including magnitude of the warehouse
operation, storage capacity, temperature, order profiles, legislative
requirements, company culture, and volume of goods moving through the facility.
key processes and how they are handled is as stated below (Mal Walker,2018):
Receiving The act
of handling products into a warehouse and onto a system.Receipts may be for
single products, objects, litres, cartons, packets, crates, kilograms or full
pallets. Items maybe large such as pallets or as small as a split pin. The best
way to receive products is via an Advance Shipping Notice (ASN) from a
supplier. With this information on system, operators can scan consignment
barcodes to bring up the ASN. If the delivery matches the ASN, then goods can
be system-received. But at this point they are still at staging, albeit ready
for put-away. Some systems allow for goods to be received into inventory at
this point, whereas others require the goods to be delivered to a specific
stock location before inventory is updated. This depends entirely on the
customer requirements and how the system is set up. Note, Organise ASN on your system for automatic
receiving and put-away, ideally, use radio frequency (RF) equipment for
scanning and updating your management systems. Put-Away A good
system will prompt put-away staff with a note indicating that stock is in
staging waiting to be transported to a storage location. The process commences
when operators accept the put-away task from the Enterprise Resource Program
(ERP) or Warehouse Management System (WMS), and then scanning the relevant
barcode of goods to be put away. If there is no barcode, then a manual entry
can confirm that the goods have been identified. At this point the system will
be directing the put-away staff to deliver goods to the relevant storage
location. Once at the location, the operator will either scan the relevant
stock location barcode, or manually confirm that the correct location has been
found, then place the goods into the slot before confirming that the put-away
process is complete. Note, make use of
a system that can direct put-away to vacant slots according to demand of the
goods. Picking There are
two main types of picking. Primary: This is the first picking of
goods. In some cases, the first picking is delivered directly to a staging area
or packing bench for finalisation, consigning and dispatching, thus the first
picking becomes the last picking. Secondary: This is a second picking process.
Some primary picks are subject to a second picking process, particularly where
picked goods must be allocated to clustered orders (bunch of orders), or
discrete orders (single orders) via a sortation process or system. With the
boom in online sales across many industries, far more companies are conducting
secondary picking processes than ever before. Once
orders are received, it is common for orders to be released ‘real-time’ or in
‘waves’. Real-time orders are downloaded as they are received. Orders
accumulated for specific picking times and transport routes are called ‘waves. Waves can
be released at the discretion of the DC manager according to criteria that they
determine. As alluded to above, picking may be discrete, that is, one order at
a time, clustered, i.e., multiple orders at a time, or batched, i.e., picking
all the goods at once to sort to specific customer orders. Often,
companies may use all three types of picking. With increasing online orders,
companies are increasingly installing picking apparatus such as put walls,
put-to-light systems, goods-to-person systems and cross-belt sortation systems,
to cope with the larger volume of small orders. What
about accuracy of picking? This is one of the most common questions asked by
warehouse managers. Should you scan the product or location, or both during
picking? Note, the unrelenting
technology improvement and complexity of modern-day business dictates that
companies invest in appropriate ERP and WMS systems to remain competitive.
Picking uses a large amount of resources, and can reflect around 60% or more of
warehouse staff. Smart picking systems and WMS are a must for increasingly
complex businesses. This
depends largely on the degree of accuracy required. If both are scanned
accuracy increases, but picking velocity will be lower compared to simply
scanning the location. Where voice systems are used, no scanning will be used,
but check digits at the location serve to ensure the operator is at the correct
location. Voice picking obviates the need to scan at all, but with a touch of
risk. The risk lies in the operator achieving the right count, upon picking,
without making a mistake. While
companies worry about the accuracy issue, evidence suggests that voice picking
and/or scanning the location only, gives a surprisingly high level of accuracy,
without impeding picking velocity. For ‘accuracy intensive’ warehouses,
accuracy can be enhanced by a statistical example of QA checks, normally around
10 to 20% of orders. Packing There are
scores of ways that goods are packed within distribution centres. Rather than
delve into the specific details of packing processes, it’s sufficed to follow
five rules for successful packing: 1) Goods picked must be traceable in terms of location
from which they are picked, plus relevant ‘use-by’ dates and/or ‘batch’ dates
and codes. 2) Accuracy and QA checks must be built into the
process. 3) Goods picking from different zones within the
warehouse must be easily ‘combined’ and system-managed to ensure order
completeness. 4) Goods must be packed according to their size,
quantity, temperature, toxicity, value, fragility, hygiene and legislative
requirements. 5) Consignments must always be system-traceable to
documents and/or invoice numbers for future traceability. Note Packing is an extension of the picking
process and must be system-managed and treated with care to ensure that orders
are complete, and accurate. Dispatching The
successful art of dispatch lies in the operation’s ability to have goods ready
for departure, just in time for carriers to load their trucks. The DC manager
must therefore balance and forecast packing and dispatching according to
carrier pick-up times. Goods that are ready too early, for example, will
clutter staging areas, while dispatches that are late, will delay loading and
potentially cause late deliveries. As
indicated earlier, many firms resort to using their systems to release orders,
for picking and packing in waves, aligned to specific delivery routes or
carrier types. Note, Avoid jambs and
late deliveries by scheduling picking waves to align with carrier picking up
times. Returns This is
something most companies wish will just disappear! However, returns are an
intricate part of most businesses, and alas, the volume of returns is growing
for many organisations – mainly due to the e-commerce revolution. Alarmingly,
much of returns for many firms are for just one item at a time. The
complexity around handling returns mandates the following rules: 1) When customers return goods, they should seek, and
be given Return Management Authorisation, which outlines what is being returned
and why. 2) All returns must be traceable, to their order,
document and invoice. 3) Companies must have a pre-determined returns process
that delineates what is to be done with the goods once received back into the
warehouse, e.g., return to stock, repair, destroy, discard, recycle, return to
manufacturer, etc. 4) All credits must be system-recorded together with
reasons why the goods are returned. 5) Inventory must be updated where goods are returned
to stock, or held for further action. Note, Returns is a complex part of any business. A
defined process must be in place that accurately and reliably records the whole
transaction and credit process. Value-Adding This is
the part of the business where products are produced, kitted, assembled,
relabelled, modified, ‘burnt-in’, or subject to some other value adding
process. The value adding part is about performing work on the product to make
it ‘ready for sale’. This
process of value-adding can be complex, particularly when many different items
are combined to form a new product. Complexity around handling value-adding
processes and the changing nature of component products in and out of shelf locations
can be daunting. Over the years, systems have evolved to assist, yet there are
many companies that find recording of value adding components may be
incompatible with how the logistics system or conventional ERP or WMS have been
set up. Note, review your value-adding
processes and make sure that your system can handle the requisite activities
and transactions. In
conclusion, from the
above, you will realise that modern distribution centre supply chains are a
complex mass of processes, activities and transactions. All of which must be
individually crafted by humans to make your warehouse operate effectively. The days
of using a pad and pencil or even a spreadsheet to manage warehouse functions
do seems very long ago, yet the unrelenting technology improvement and
complexity of modern-day business dictates that companies invest in appropriate
ERP and WMS systems to remain competitive. Equally important is that they are
correctly configured to the ‘different’ aspects of your business. Overall,
for online retailers to take over the market and get established, it is
imperative that they develop strategies for improving customers overall
experience online. There is need for retailers to exceed the customers’
expectations of just an automated buying and selling process. Some major online
retailers in developed countries have introduced additional online features
such as virtual testing of products like clothes and accessories. Customers
upload their pictures dresses are tested on the picture online. This can also
be done for accessories like sunglasses and prescription glasses. With such an
invention, the need to visit physical stores is greatly reduced and customers
will begin to enjoy seamless online shopping experience (Gabriel, et al, 2016). 4. SYSTEM DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION4.1. STRATEGIES FOR CREATING AN INTELLIGENTLY ENHANCED ONLINE STORE (VIRTUAL SHOP) SUCCESSFULLYSellers
with their own online stores play a different game. They have complete control
over their customers’ experiences. Whether it’s rearranging product placement
or highlighting a store sale, merchants can use their website to directly
connect with their customers and encourage purchases (OksanaPreda, 2020). ·
Engaging
web Design ·
An
awesome “about us” page ·
Partner
with other brands – for the purpose of reputation and gaining customers/clients’
trust ·
Offer
of excellent online support ·
Provide
popular payment options ·
Advertise
on social media ·
A
useful, SEO-driven blog (Selling Enterprise Online) ·
Build
buyer trust with product reviews ·
Make
your site SEO friendly ·
Ensure Your Store is Mobile-Responsive ·
Track Analytics and Iterate ·
Offer Free Shipping ·
Build Your Outreach List ·
Use Ready-to-Go Storefront Tools ·
Keep an Eye on the Competition ·
Use High-Res Photos ·
Offer Incentives ·
Take Advantage of Email Marketing ·
Offer Generous Refund and Money-Back Guarantee
Policies ·
Ensure customers privacy information are
intelligently protected from malicious hackers. For ease
in intelligently enhancing the process of placing, receiving and retrieving
items in the digital (virtual or online) shop, the following is expected; 1)
Intelligently
creates departments within it such as shoes department, cosmetics, clothes,
gold, silver, and so on departments. As well as that of services do same. 2)
Make
the display of goods and services to be attractive with intelligent display
methods that sets a tone and expectation. With this you sell not just your
products but your intelligent experience skills. With an intelligent
merchandize display a message is sent to the would be buyer or client. 3)
Use
planogram a type of diagram to detail placement of items in the virtual shop. 4)
Ensure
the atmosphere in the virtual shop is pleasant with lightning, music in the
website, so the color combination is vital. 5)
Intelligently
ensure ease of accessibility of the goods and services as well as good sigh
directions to help customers navigate the shop online. 6)
Intelligently
ensure customer and client receive their goods and services as at when due. If
refund is needed do it promptly and friendly. 7)
Ensure
fraud is prevented as par cash handling, transfer credit cards, debit cards,
and so on. Have internal control merchanism. 8)
Handling
of ordered goods and services to ensure customers and buyers receiving their
requested goods or items in good condition and it meets their expected demand
and quality. 9)
Have
inventory control and tracking system to ensure the right customer gets its
request delivered rightly. Tracks customers’ purchase in order to create
customized promotions. 10)
Ensure
an intelligent data management system with the use of technology such as
barcoding and use of a customer relationship management (CRM) platform. This would
guide targeted customers towards sales and offers build customer loyalty and
improve customer service. The technology can also be used to root out
bottlenecks and discrepancies thereby increasing efficiency and timeliness. In
summary, Online stores cum virtual shop give merchants complete autonomy over
the customers’ experiences. Instead of following a marketplace’s policies, a
seller can set up their own online shop by their terms to shape their buyers’
product interactions as well as using intelligent agents to intelligently
enhance the virtual store or shop website interaction. Merchants
with this freedom as an online store owner can encourage more conversions if
they know how to craft each element of their shop. By following the strategies
outlined in this guide, merchants can become more aware of how customers
perceive every store element and apply that knowledge to create their shop.
Curating an online store to align with key buyers’ wants and motivations gives
sellers an edge over less concerned competitors. Also,
problems that undermine consumers’ confidence in online shopping includes fraud
and security concerns. These include identity theft, phishing, denial of
service attacks, and so on. The perpetrators get hold of consumer’s credit card
information and use it to commit fraud. To combat this, most online businesses
adopt encryption on their websites as well as other security measures to
prevent fraudsters from getting hold of customers information. The use of
Paypal accounts is also useful in securing against fraud on the Internet (UKEssays, 2018). 5. FINDINGS, RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONSThe ease
and convenience of shopping online will always lure more consumers to it.
However, consumers must be alert and aware of the risks involved and take extra
care when shopping online. Due to the openness and competitiveness of the
online market or virtual shop, most business will always strive to maintain the
highest standard of security as well as a user centred website to boost their
business. As
observed, shopping online or digitally works better for elderly persons and
persons with very busy work schedules, the virtual shops should have personal
shopping bags on their websites that enables buyers or clients to store their
selected products and services to be purchased later. These clients purchase or
make payments via their credit, debit cards or with their internet banking
facilities. For these reason intelligent security features like CAPATCHA is
required to verify payment by authenticating buyers as well as secure their
pass-code to their credit or debit card or internet banking credentials from
malicious hackers, so that buyers and sellers are safe in getting value for
money spent and as well return of investment (ROI). Also,
selling directly online (virtually or digitally) increases the manufacturers
and sellers reach as their profit is not tied to only physical visit to their
shops, as virtual shops enable them to sell across cities, state, countries and
continents. The customer, also have variety of brands to choose from in digital
or virtual shop globally. 6. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONAs it
evolves, digital retailing or virtual shop and sometimes termed online shop as
well as virtual market are quickly morphing into something so different that it
requires a new name: omnichannel retailing. The name reflects the fact that
retailers will be able to interact with customers through countless
channels—websites, physical stores, kiosks, direct mail and catalogs, call
centers, social media, mobile devices, gaming consoles, televisions, networked
appliances, home services, and more. Unless conventional merchants adopt an
entirely new perspective—one that allows them to integrate disparate channels
into a single seamless omnichannel experience—they are likely to be swept away. Therefore,
the enhancing of the process of placing, retrieving and receiving orders for
products and services intelligently becomes more vital for sellers and buyers
alike. SOURCES OF FUNDING
This
research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public,
commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The
author have declared that no competing interests exist. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
None. REFERENCES
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