122-480: Ngee Ann City is a shopping and commercial centre located on Orchard Road , Singapore . The S$ 520 million building was officially opened on 21 September 1993 by then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong . In the 1950s, the land that Ngee Ann City sits on was a burial ground , owned and managed by Ngee Ann Kongsi . It was part of a parcel of land known as Tai Shan Ting , which was bounded by Orchard Road, Paterson Road, and Grange Road. A ten-storey Ngee Ann Building
244-410: A leisure activity. Online shopping has become a major disruptor in the retail industry as consumers can now search for product information and place product orders across different regions. Online retailers deliver their products directly to the consumers' home, offices, or wherever they want. The B2C (business to consumer) process has made it easy for consumers to select any product online from
366-437: A broad radius (up to a 160-km). A regional mall can contain at least two department stores or " anchor stores ". One of the biggest malls in the world is the one near Miami , called "Sawgrass Mills Mall": it has 2,370,610 square feet (220,237 m2) of retail selling space, with over 329 retail outlets and name brand discounters. The smaller malls are often called open-air strip centres or mini-marts and are typically attached to
488-487: A certain extent. A number of resources offer advice on how consumers can protect themselves when using online retailer services. These include: Although the benefits of online shopping are considerable, when the process goes poorly it can create a thorny situation. A few problems that shoppers potentially face include identity theft, faulty products, and the accumulation of spyware . If users are required to put in their credit card information and billing/shipping address and
610-845: A common form of second hand resale. Neighbourhood shopping areas and retailers give value to a community by providing various social and community services (like a library ), and a social place to meet. Neighbourhood retailing differs from other types of retailers such as destination retailers because of the difference in offered products and services, location and popularity. Neighbourhood retailers include stores such as; Food shops/marts, dairies , Pharmacies , Dry cleaners , Hairdressers / barbers , Bottle shops , Cafés and take-away shops . Destination retailers include stores such as; Gift shops , Antique shops , Pet groomers, Engravers , Tattoo parlour , Bicycle shops , Herbal dispensary clinics, Art galleries , Office Supplies and framers. The neighbourhood retailers sell essential goods and services to
732-414: A companies' products and services on tablet computers and smartphones . One of the earliest forms of trade conducted online was IBM 's online transaction processing (OLTP) developed in the 1960s, which allowed the processing of financial transactions in real-time. The computerized ticket reservation system developed for American Airlines called Semi-Automatic Business Research Environment (SABRE)
854-407: A constant state of change, due to the frenetic change in fashions . A foreign visitor commented that London was "a world of gold and silver plate, then pearls and gems shedding their dazzling lustre, home manufactures of the most exquisite taste, an ocean of rings, watches, chains, bracelets, perfumes, ready-dresses, ribbons, lace, bonnets, and fruits from all the zones of the habitable world". In
976-468: A customer shopping online that they may receive more risk than people shopping in stores. There are three factors may influence people to do the buying decision, firstly, people cannot examine whether the product satisfy their needs and wants before they receive it. Secondly, customer may concern at after-sale services. Finally, customer may afraid that they cannot fully understand the language used in e-sales. Based on those factors customer perceive risk may as
1098-417: A deterrent, as these new arcades came to be the place to shop and to be seen. Arcades offered shoppers the promise of an enclosed space away from the chaos of daily street life; a place shoppers could socialise and spend their leisure time. As thousands of glass covered arcades spread across Europe, they became grander and more ornately decorated. By the mid nineteenth century, promenading in these arcades became
1220-512: A domestic telephone line. He believed that videotex , the modified domestic TV technology with a simple menu-driven human–computer interface, was a 'new, universally applicable, participative communication medium — the first since the invention of the telephone.' This enabled 'closed' corporate information systems to be opened to 'outside' correspondents not just for transaction processing but also for e-messaging and information retrieval and dissemination, later known as e-business . His definition of
1342-402: A grocery store or supermarket. The smaller malls are less likely to include the same features of a large mall such as an indoor concourse, but are beginning to evolve to become enclosed to comply with all weather and customer preferences. Stores are divided into multiple categories of stores which sell a selected set of goods or services. Usually they are tiered by target demographics based on
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#17328549255001464-406: A key role for online shoppers when they are researching future purchases. 90% of all purchases made are influenced by social media. Online shoppers commonly use a credit card or a PayPal account in order to make payments. However, some systems enable users to create accounts and pay by alternative means, such as: Some online shops will not accept international credit cards. Some require both
1586-648: A large variety of goods. The modern shopping centre is now different from its antecedents, the stores are commonly in individual buildings or compressed into one large structure (usually called Mall in the USA). The first modern shopping mall in the US was The Country Club Plaza in Kansas City which opened in 1922, from there the first enclosed mall was designed by Victor Gruen and opened in 1956 as Southdale Centre in Edina, Minnesota,
1708-421: A major concern for merchants and e-commerce service providers, who deploy countermeasures such as firewalls and anti-virus software to protect their networks. Phishing is another danger, where consumers are fooled into thinking they are dealing with a reputable retailer, when they have actually been manipulated into feeding private information to a system operated by a malicious party. Denial of service attacks are
1830-510: A manicure. The fashion show, which originated in the US in around 1907, became a staple feature event for many department stores and celebrity appearances were also used to great effect. Themed events featured wares from foreign shores, exposing shoppers to the exotic cultures of the Orient and Middle-East. A larger commercial zone can be found in many cities, more formally called a central business district , but more commonly called " downtown " in
1952-489: A merchant's web site and steal names, addresses and credit card numbers, although the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard is intended to minimize the impact of such breaches. Identity theft is still a concern for consumers. A number of high-profile break-ins in the 2000s has prompted some U.S. states to require disclosure to consumers when this happens. Computer security has thus become
2074-449: A minor risk for merchants, as are server and network outages. Quality seals can be placed on the Shop web page if it has undergone an independent assessment and meets all requirements of the company issuing the seal. The purpose of these seals is to increase the confidence of online shoppers. However, the existence of many different seals, or seals unfamiliar to consumers, may foil this effort to
2196-491: A month. The survey found shopping began at amazon.com 44% of the time, compared to a general search engine at 33%. It estimated 75 million Americans subscribe to Amazon Prime and 35 million more use someone else's account. There were 242 million people shopping online in China in 2012. For developing countries and low-income households in developed countries, adoption of e-commerce in place of or in addition to conventional methods
2318-432: A nearby convenience store, making online shopping more advantageous to customers. In the event of a problem with the item (e.g., the product was not what the consumer ordered or the product was not satisfactory), consumers are concerned with the ease of returning an item in exchange for the correct product or a refund. Consumers may need to contact the retailer, visit the post office and pay return shipping, and then wait for
2440-461: A particular product has been found and selected on the website of the seller, most online retailers use shopping cart software to allow the consumer to accumulate multiple items and to adjust quantities, like filling a physical shopping cart or basket in a conventional store. A "checkout" process follows (continuing the physical-store analogy) in which payment and delivery information is collected, if necessary. Some stores allow consumers to sign up for
2562-417: A payment has been accepted, the goods or services can be delivered in the following ways. For physical items: For digital items or tickets: Simple shopping cart systems allow the off-line administration of products and categories. The shop is then generated as HTML files and graphics that can be uploaded to a webspace. The systems do not use an online database. A high-end solution can be bought or rented as
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#17328549255002684-442: A permanent online account so that some or all of this information only needs to be entered once. The consumer often receives an e-mail confirmation once the transaction is complete. Less sophisticated stores may rely on consumers to phone or e-mail their orders (although full credit card numbers, expiry date, and Card Security Code , or bank account and routing number should not be accepted by e-mail, for reasons of security). One of
2806-661: A physical retail store, the actual product and the manufacturer's packaging will be available for direct inspection (which might involve a test drive, fitting, or other experimentation). Some online stores provide or link to supplemental product information, such as instructions, safety procedures, demonstrations, or manufacturer specifications. Some provide background information, advice, or how-to guides designed to help consumers decide which product to buy. Some stores even allow customers to comment or rate their items. There are also dedicated review sites that host user reviews for different products. Reviews and even some blogs give customers
2928-418: A pivotal moment in 1994 with the first online sales of Sting 's album, Ten Summoner's Tales . This milestone event set the stage for the diversification of online retail, with early adopters such as wine, chocolates, and flowers paving the way. These products became pioneers in the e-commerce realm, capturing the attention of a growing audience. Researchers identified a crucial factor for internet success –
3050-477: A popular pass-time for the emerging middle classes. In Europe, the Palais-Royal, which opened in 1784, became one of the earliest examples of the new style of shopping arcade, frequented by both the aristocracy and the middle classes. It developed a reputation as being a site of sophisticated conversation, revolving around the salons, cafés, and bookshops, but also became a place frequented by off-duty soldiers and
3172-504: A reason to come back. However, resent research has proven that sites with higher focus on efficiency, convenience, and personalised services increased the customers motivation to make purchases. Dyn , an Internet performance management company conducted a survey on more than 1400 consumers across 11 countries in North America , Europe , Middle-East and Asia and the results of the survey are as follows: These concerns majorly affect
3294-453: A rented hall, to which he invited the upper classes. As the 18th-century progressed, a wide variety of goods and manufactures were steadily made available for the urban middle and upper classes. This growth in consumption led to the rise of 'shopping' - a proliferation of retail shops selling particular goods and the acceptance of shopping as a cultural activity in its own right. Specific streets and districts became devoted to retail, including
3416-467: A replacement or refund. Some online companies have more generous return policies to compensate for the traditional advantage of physical stores. For example, the online shoe retailer Zappos.com includes labels for free return shipping, and does not charge a restocking fee, even for returns which are not the result of merchant error. (Note: In the United Kingdom, online shops are prohibited from charging
3538-525: A restocking fee if the consumer cancels their order in accordance with the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Act 2000). A 2018 survey in the United States found 26% of online shoppers said they never return items, and another 65% said they rarely do so. Merchants may benefit from online shopping due to low sales inventory pressure, low operating costs, and the scale of operation is not limited by
3660-438: A retailer's website and to have it delivered relatively quickly. Using online shopping methods, consumers do not need to consume energy by physically visiting physical stores. This way they save time and the cost of traveling. A retailer or a shop is a business that presents a selection of goods and offers to trade or sell them to customers for money or other goods. Shoppers' shopping experiences may vary. They are based on
3782-561: A seller over the Internet using a web browser or a mobile app . 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. As of 2020, customers can shop online using a range of different computers and devices, including desktop computers , laptops , tablet computers and smartphones . An online shop evokes
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3904-461: A shopping spree’, is an individual period of intense and indulgent shopping involving many purchases, which differs from both normal shopping and compulsive shopping in its scope and purpose. One study reportedly showed that the pleasure centers of the brain were stimulated during a shopping spree similarly to the stimulation experienced during sexual activity. A shopping spree may be "especially problematic for those whose immediate release of tension
4026-511: A significantly reason influence the online purchasing behaviour. Online retailers has place much emphasis on customer trust aspect, trust is another way driving customer's behaviour in digital environment, which can depend on customer's attitude and expectation. Indeed, the company's products design or ideas can not met customer's expectations. Customer's purchase intention based on rational expectations, and additionally impacts on emotional trust. Moreover, those expectations can be also establish on
4148-580: A soldier. Archaeological evidence suggests that the British engaged in minimal shopping in the early Middle Ages . Instead, they provided for their basic needs through subsistence farming practices and a system of localised personal exchanges. However, by the late Middle Ages, consumers turned to markets for the purchase of fresh produce, meat and fish and the periodic fairs where non-perishables and luxury goods could be obtained. Women were responsible for everyday household purchases, but most of their purchasing
4270-725: A stand-alone program or as an addition to an enterprise resource planning program. It is usually installed on the company's web server and may integrate into the existing supply chain so that ordering, payment, delivery, accounting and warehousing can be automated to a large extent. Other solutions allow the user to register and create an online shop on a portal that hosts multiple shops simultaneously from one back office. Examples are BigCommerce , Shopify and FlickRocket . Open source shopping cart packages include advanced platforms such as Interchange, and off-the-shelf solutions such as Magento , osCommerce , WooCommerce , PrestaShop , and Zen Cart . Commercial systems can also be tailored so
4392-424: A strong substitutability of goods, and a large elasticity of demand. According to the output of a research report by Western Michigan University published in 2005, an e-commerce website does not have to be good looking with listing on a lot of search engines. It must build relationships with customers to make money. The report also suggests that a website must leave a positive impression on the customers, giving them
4514-485: A suburb of Minneapolis. Malls peaked in America in the 1980s-1990s when many larger malls (more than 37,000 sq m in size) were built, attracting consumers from within a 32 km radius with their luxurious department stores. Different types of malls can be found around the world. Superregional malls are very large malls that contain at least five department stores and 300 shops. This type of mall attracts consumers from
4636-531: A transaction, such as a credit card , an Interac -enabled debit card , or a service such as PayPal . For physical products (e.g., paperback books or clothes), the e-tailer ships the products to the customer; for digital products , such as digital audio files of songs or software , the e-tailer usually sends the file to the customer over the Internet. The largest of these online retailing corporations are Alibaba , Amazon.com , and eBay . Alternative names for
4758-454: A variety of factors including how the customer is treated, convenience, the type of goods being purchased, and mood. In antiquity, marketplaces and fairs were established to facilitate the exchange of goods and services. People would shop for goods at a regular market in nearby towns. However, the transient nature of stalls and stall-holders meant the consumers needed to make careful inspection of goods prior to purchase. In ancient Greece ,
4880-419: A warehouse instead of a retail storefront. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption has generally solved the problem of credit card numbers being intercepted in transit between the consumer and the merchant. However, one must still trust the merchant (and employees) not to use the credit card information subsequently for their own purchases, and not to pass the information to others. Also, hackers might break into
5002-422: A wider scope of goods and services. The party plan is a method of marketing products by hosting a social event, using the event to display and demonstrate the product or products to those gathered, and then to take orders for the products before the gathering ends. Shopping frenzies are periods of time where a burst of spending occurs, typically near holidays in the United States, with Christmas shopping being
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5124-574: A wider variety of products not horizontally related to each other. Home mail delivery systems and modern technology (such as television, telephones, and the Internet), in combination with electronic commerce , allow consumers to shop from home. There are three main types of home shopping: mail or telephone ordering from catalogs; telephone ordering in response to advertisements in print and electronic media (such as periodicals , TV and radio); and online shopping . Online shopping has completely redefined
5246-449: Is cost-plus pricing . This involves adding a markup amount (or percentage) to the retailers' cost. Another common technique is manufacturers suggested list pricing. This simply involves charging the amount suggested by the manufacturer and usually printed on the product by the manufacturer. Online shopping Online shopping is a form of electronic commerce which allows consumers to directly buy goods or services from
5368-502: Is a $ 69 billion difference between the U.S. revenue of $ 364.66 billion. It is estimated that Asia-Pacific will increase by another 30% in the year 2013 putting them ahead by more than one-third of all global e-commerce sales. The largest online shopping day in the world is Singles Day , with sales just in Alibaba 's sites at US$ 9.3 billion in 2014. In 2018, 9.8% of all retail sales in the United States were made online. In 2019, that figure
5490-455: Is being able to quickly seek out deals for items or services provided by many different vendors (though some local search engines do exist to help consumers locate products for sale in nearby stores). Search engines, online price comparison services and discovery shopping engines can be used to look up sellers of a particular product or service. Shipping costs (if applicable) reduce the price advantage of online merchandise, though depending on
5612-573: Is followed by subsequent feelings of guilt, sadness, anger, or despair over what turned out to be an unwanted purchase". Historically, prices were established through a system of barter or negotiation. The first retailer to adopt fixed prices is thought to be the retailers operating out of the Palais-Royal complex in the 18th-century. These retailers adopted a system of high price maintenance in order to cultivate images of luxury. For their upper class clientele, fixed prices spared them from hassle of bartering. The pricing technique used by most retailers
5734-537: Is limited by a lack of affordable Internet access. Online stores are usually available 24 hours a day, and many consumers in Western countries have Internet access both at work and at home. Other establishments such as Internet cafes, community centers and schools provide internet access as well. In contrast, visiting a conventional retail store requires travel or commuting and costs such as gas, parking, or bus tickets, and must usually take place during business hours. Delivery
5856-406: Is of much lower cost compared to bricks and mortar stores, but also because it offers access to a worldwide market, increases customer value, and builds sustainable capabilities. Designers of online shops are concerned with the effects of information load. Information load is a product of the spatial and temporal arrangements of stimuli in the web store. Compared with conventional retail shopping,
5978-445: Is often displayed alongside products being sold on websites like Amazon , Target , and most other digital storefronts. Subsequently, risk and trust would also are two important factors affecting people's' behavior in digital environments. Customers consider to switch between e-channels, because they are mainly influence by the comparison with offline shopping, involving growth of security, financial and performance-risks In other words,
6100-563: The Strand and Piccadilly in London. The rise of window shopping as a recreational activity accompanied the use of glass windows in retail shop-fronts. By the late eighteenth century, grand shopping arcades began to emerge across Britain, Europe and in the Antipodes in what became known as the "arcade era." Typically, these arcades had a roof constructed of glass to allow for natural light and to reduce
6222-482: The agora served as a marketplace where merchants kept stalls or shops to sell their goods. Ancient Rome utilized a similar marketplace known as the forum . Rome had two forums; the Forum Romanum and Trajan's Forum . Trajan's Market at Trajan's forum, built around 100-110CE, was a vast expanse, comprising multiple buildings with tabernae that served as retail shops, situated on four levels. The Roman forum
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#17328549255006344-530: The disposable income of the shopper. They can be tiered from cheap to pricey. Some shops sell secondhand goods. Often the public can also sell goods to such shops. In other cases, especially in the case of a nonprofit shop, the public donates goods to these shops, commonly known as thrift stores in the United States, charity shops in the United Kingdom, or op shops in Australia and New Zealand. In give-away shops goods can be taken for free. In antique shops,
6466-439: The 16th century, London's shops were described as little more than "rude booths." The Medieval shopper's experience was very different from that of the contemporary shopper. Interiors were dark and shoppers had relatively few opportunities to inspect the merchandise prior to consumption. Glazed windows in retail environments, were virtually unknown during the medieval period. Goods were rarely out on display; instead retailers kept
6588-438: The 17th century, consumers from a broad range of social backgrounds began to purchase goods that were in excess of basic necessities. An emergent middle class or bourgeoisie stimulated demand for luxury goods and began to purchase a wider range of luxury goods and imported goods, including: Indian cotton and calico; silk, tea and porcelain from China, spices from India and South-East Asia and tobacco, sugar, rum and coffee from
6710-699: The Canadian-based Wishabi attempts to include estimates of these additional cost, but nevertheless, the lack of general full cost disclosure remains a concern. 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. In response, many merchants promise to not use consumer information for these purposes, Many websites keep track of consumer shopping habits in order to suggest items and other websites to view. Brick-and-mortar stores also collect consumer information. Some ask for
6832-537: The New World. The act of shopping came to be seen as a pleasurable pass-time or form of entertainment. By the 17th-century, produce markets gradually gave way to shops and shopping centres; which changed the consumer's shopping experience. The New Exchange, opened in 1609 by Robert Cecil in the Strand was one such example of a planned shopping centre. Shops started to become important as places for Londoners to meet and socialise and became popular destinations alongside
6954-850: The Ngee Ann Kongsi. Wong spent five years designing and overseeing the project. Work on Ngee Ann City began 22 years after the project was first proposed. The construction of the S$ 520 ;million complex took four years. Ngee Ann City was officially opened by Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong on 21 September 1993. The National Trade Union Congress ' radio operation, Radio Heart, opened its satellite studios at Ngee Ann City in July 1993. Takashimaya Department Store had its month-long opening celebrations in October 1993. Ngee Ann City has two office towers, Tower A and B which are both 26 storeys high. Among its many shops are
7076-744: The Takashimaya department store and Kinokuniya , the second-largest bookstore in Southeast Asia. Until 2007, it housed the library@orchard , part of the National Library Board on the 5th floor. Ngee Ann City is also home to the largest Best Denki in Singapore, known as Big Best. In 2005, the shopping mall opened an art and creativity section on the 4th floor called iFORUM, the first of its kind in Singapore. When Ngee Ann City opened in 1993, Tangs Studio (a division of Tangs ) occupied three floors of
7198-490: The UK by large corporations. The first World Wide Web server and browser, created by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989, opened for commercial use in 1991. Thereafter, subsequent technological innovations emerged in 1994: online banking, the opening of an online pizza shop by Pizza Hut , Netscape 's SSL v2 encryption standard for secure data transfer, and Intershop 's first online shopping system. The first secure retail transaction over
7320-597: The US. French retailer, Le Bon Marche, is an example of a department store that has survived into current times Originally founded in 1838 as a lace and haberdashery store, it was revamped mid-century and opened as a department store in 1852. Many of the early department stores were more than just a retail emporium; rather they were venues where shoppers could spend their leisure time and be entertained. Some department stores offered reading rooms, art galleries and concerts. Most department stores had tea-rooms or dining rooms and offered treatment areas where ladies could indulge in
7442-678: The United States, or the "high street" in Britain, and souks in Arabic speaking areas. Shopping hubs, or shopping centers , are collections of stores; that is a grouping of several businesses in a compact geographic area. It consists of a collection of retail, entertainment and service stores designed to serve products and services to the surrounding region. Typical examples include shopping malls , town squares , flea markets and bazaars . Traditionally, shopping hubs were called bazaars or marketplaces ; an assortment of stalls lining streets selling
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#17328549255007564-594: The Web was either by NetMarket or Internet Shopping Network in 1994. Immediately after, Amazon.com launched its online shopping site in 1995 and eBay was also introduced in 1995. Alibaba 's sites Taobao and Tmall were launched in 2003 and 2008, respectively. Retailers are increasingly selling goods and services prior to availability through " pretail " for testing, building, and managing demand. Statistics show that in 2012, Asia-Pacific increased their international sales over 30% giving them over $ 433 billion in revenue. That
7686-508: The activity are "e-tailing", a shortened form of "electronic retail " or "e-shopping", a shortened form of "electronic shopping". An online store may also be called an e-web-store, e-shop, e-store, Internet shop, web-shop, web-store, online store, online storefront and virtual store. Mobile commerce (or m-commerce ) describes purchasing from an online retailer's mobile device-optimized website or software application ("app"). These websites or apps are designed to enable customers to browse through
7808-422: The base price of an item online, it may not be easy to see the total cost up front. Additional fees such as shipping are often not visible until the final step in the checkout process. The problem is especially evident with cross-border purchases, where the cost indicated at the final checkout screen may not include additional fees that must be paid upon delivery such as duties and brokerage . Some services such as
7930-463: The biggest reduction sales occurring at the end of the season. Holiday shopping periods are extending their sales further and further with holidays such as Black Friday becoming a month-long event stretching promotions across November . These days shopping doesn't stop once the mall closes, as people have more access to stores and their sales than ever before with the help of the internet and apps. Today many people research their purchases online to find
8052-449: The biggest shopping spending season, starting as early as October and continuing until after Christmas. Some religions regard such spending seasons as being against their faith and dismiss the practice. Many contest the over-commercialization and the response by stores that downplay the shopping season often cited in the War on Christmas . The National Retail Federation (NRF) also highlights
8174-462: The building at the Tower B section of the building. A few years later, Level 2 of the department store was closed in 1999 due to poor business. This part of the mall became part of the speciality shop section (mainly branded boutiques ) on the mall on Level 2, Books Kinokuniya on Level 3, and a shop section mainly children's boutiques and shops on Level 4 that was converted to iForum in 2005. The top floor of
8296-399: The cheapest and best deal with one third of all shopping searches on Google happen between 10:00 pm and 4:00 am. Shoppers are now spending more time consulting different sources before making a final purchasing decision. Shoppers once used an average of five sources for information before making a purchase, but numbers have risen to as high as 12 sources in 2014. Spree shopping, or ‘going on
8418-426: The convenience of home delivery to households, and especially to geographically isolated communities. In the more populous European cities, a small number of shops were beginning to emerge by the 13th century. Specialist retailers such as mercers and haberdashers were known to exist in London, while grocers sold "miscellaneous small wares as well as spices and medicines." However, these shops were primitive. As late as
8540-537: The corporate systems and allow business transactions to be completed electronically in real-time. During the 1980s he designed, manufactured, sold, installed, maintained and supported many online shopping systems, using videotex technology. These systems which also provided voice response and handprint processing pre-date the Internet and the World Wide Web , the IBM PC , and Microsoft MS-DOS, and were installed mainly in
8662-466: The decisions of almost two thirds of the consumers. The most important factors determining whether customers return to a website are ease of use and the presence of user-friendly features. Usability testing is important for finding problems and improvements in a web site. Methods for evaluating usability include heuristic evaluation , cognitive walkthrough, and user testing . Each technique has its own characteristics and emphasizes different aspects of
8784-783: The digital environment, customer's buying behaviour may not be influenced and controlled by the brand and firm, when they make a buying decision that might concern the interactions with search engine, recommendations, online reviews and other information. In modern shopping environments, people are more likely to use their mobile phones, computers, tablets and other digital devices to gather information. In an online shopping environment, interactive decision may have an influence on aid customer decision making, through online product reviews and user-generated content , typically provided through software from companies like Bazaarvoice and Trustpilot , or via social media. This content, which can include text or video-based reviews, customer photos, and feedback,
8906-483: The end, E-commerce behavior is still mostly influenced by families that are receptive to new technologies, and to a lesser extent by efficiency concerns. [1] 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 . Users can compare and evaluate products using product information on the website, as well on other websites such as websites about product tests . Once
9028-639: The first in South East Asia, is located at the Takashimaya Square. The two towers of Ngee Ann City were intended by the designer to symbolise Chinese door gods, representing strength, generosity, and unity. Tenants in the office tower include Takashimaya Singapore, Books Kinokuniya, Metro department store, Ngee Ann Development, some private office tenants and a medical floor on Level 8 of Tower B. Toshin Development Singapore Pte. Ltd. manages
9150-575: The great benefits of online shopping is the ability to read product reviews , written either by experts or fellow online shoppers. The Nielsen Company conducted a survey in March 2010 and polled more than 27,000 Internet users in 55 markets from the Asia-Pacific, Europe, Middle East, North America, and South America to look at questions such as "How do consumers shop online?", "What do they intend to buy?", "How do they use various online shopping web pages?", and
9272-402: The heat. Seasonal shopping now revolves a lot around holiday sales and buying more for less. Stores need to get rid of all of their previous seasonal clothing to make room for the new trends of the upcoming season. The end-of-season sales usually last a few weeks with prices lowering further towards the closing of the sale. During sales items can be discounted from 10% up to as much as 50%, with
9394-448: The household, and the new status of goods as status symbols , related to changes in fashion and desired for aesthetic appeal, as opposed to just their utility. The pottery inventor and entrepreneur , Josiah Wedgewood , pioneered the use of marketing techniques to influence and manipulate the direction of the prevailing tastes. One of his preferred sales techniques was to stage expansive showcases of wares in this private residences or in
9516-647: The impact of social media and other factors that come into play when consumers are trying to decide how to spend their money on which product or service. According to the research, reviews on electronics (57%) such as DVD players, cellphones, or PlayStations, and so on, reviews on cars (45%), and reviews on software (37%) play an important role in influencing consumers who tend to make purchases online. Furthermore, 40% of online shoppers indicate that they would not even buy electronics without consulting online reviews first. In addition to online reviews, peer recommendations on online shopping pages or social media websites play
9638-565: The importance of back-to-school shopping for retailers which comes second behind holiday shopping, when buyers often buy clothing and school supplies for their children. In 2017, Americans spent over $ 83 billion on back-to-school and back-to-college shopping, according to the NRF annual survey. Seasonal shopping consists of buying the appropriate clothing for the particular season . In winter people bundle up in warm layers and coats to keep warm, while in summer people wear less clothing to stay cooler in
9760-437: 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, etc. 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
9882-444: The interaction does not qualify as e-commerce because no money was transferred online. The landscape of online shopping as we know it today took shape with the rise of the Internet. Initially serving as a mere advertising platform, the Internet transitioned swiftly into a dynamic space for actual online transactions. This transformation was fueled by the development of interactive web pages and secure transmission protocols, marking
10004-505: The jurisdiction, a lack of sales tax may compensate for this. Shipping a small number of items, especially from another country, is much more expensive than making the larger shipments bricks-and-mortar retailers order. Some retailers (especially those selling small, high-value items like electronics) offer free shipping on sufficiently large orders. Another major advantage for retailers is the ability to rapidly switch suppliers and vendors without disrupting users' shopping experience. Given
10126-476: The lack of ability to inspect merchandise before purchase, consumers are at higher risk of fraud than face-to-face transactions. When ordering merchandise online, the item may not work properly, it may have defects, or it might not be the same item pictured in the online photo. Merchants also risk fraudulent purchases if customers are using stolen credit cards or fraudulent repudiation of the online purchase. However, merchants face less risk from physical theft by using
10248-537: The lead. It is advisable to be aware of the most current technology and scams to protect consumer identity and finances. Product delivery is also a main concern of online shopping. Most companies offer shipping insurance in case the product is lost or damaged. Some shipping companies will offer refunds or compensation for the damage, but this is up to their discretion. Fencing is another growing societal problem associated with online platforms. Stolen merchandise from brick and mortal retailers and cargo are easily resold to
10370-493: The mall, Level 5, was part of the upper level carpark . In 1997, the 5th floor was converted to retail space. The Civic Plaza is where roadshows, concerts, functions, performances and activities are held. There is a fountain at the front of the Civic Plaza facing Orchard Road. The building is connected by underpasses to Wisma Atria , ION Orchard , Wheelock Place , Isetan and Lucky Plaza . A 24-screen video wall, touted as
10492-478: The merchandise at the rear of the store and would only bring out items on request. The service counter was virtually unknown and instead, many stores had openings onto the street from which they served customers. In Britain, medieval attitudes to retailing and shopping were negative. Retailers were no better than hucksters, because they simply resold goods, by buying cheaper and selling dearer, without adding value of national accounts. Added to this were concerns about
10614-410: The need for candles or electric lighting. Inside the arcade, individual stores were fitted with long glass exterior windows which allowed the emerging middle-classes to window shop and indulge in fantasies, even when they may not have been able to afford the high retail prices. Designed to attract the genteel middle class, retailers sold luxury goods at relatively high prices. However, prices were never
10736-429: The new mass communications medium as 'participative' [interactive, many-to-many] was fundamentally different from the traditional definitions of mass communication and mass media and a precursor to the social networking on the Internet 25 years later. In March 1980 he launched Redifon's Office Revolution, which allowed consumers, customers, agents, distributors, suppliers and service companies to be connected online to
10858-645: The option of shopping for cheaper purchases from all over the world without having to depend on local retailers. In a conventional retail store, clerks are generally available to answer questions. Some online stores have real-time chat features, but most rely on e-mails or phone calls to handle customer questions. Even if an online store is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the customer service team may only be available during regular business hours. It also implies that geographical factors, rather than socioeconomic issues, must be addressed in order to improve online shopping acceptance. [2] One advantage of shopping online
10980-494: The pace of urbanization, local delivery systems, and internet connectivity which facilitate the delivery process are the major determinants of e-commerce adoption, Online shopping is usually more informationally rich than shopping at physical stores traveled to and usually has higher comparability and customizability. Online stores must describe products for sale with text, photos, and multimedia files, and sometimes have features such as question and answers or filters, whereas in
11102-462: The physical analogy of buying products or services at a regular "brick-and-mortar" retailer or shopping center ; the process is called business-to-consumer (B2C) online shopping. When an online store is set up to enable businesses to buy from another businesses, the process is called business-to-business (B2B) online shopping. A typical online store enables the customer to browse the firm's range of products and services, view photos or images of
11224-426: The probability of developing favorable attitudes towards new shopping channels. In addition, age is also a significant factor that affects online shopping. People feel that privacy and security factors have an even more significant impact on attitudes toward online shopping than product factors. Shoppers of different age groups have different perceptions of the risk factors of online shopping. The marketing around
11346-482: The product information and revision from others. In several studies, perceived value, shopping style, and brand trust are the main factors that affect online consumers' decisions. The perceived value means that people can compare the products and prices online, bringing them the perceived value of getting more benefits online than in an offline store. The comfortable environment that online shopping brings to customers can make consumers get more perceived value. In
11468-409: The products, along with information about the product specifications, features and prices. Unlike physical stores which may close at night, online shopping portals are always available to customers. Online stores usually enable shoppers to use "search" features to find specific models, brands or items. Online customers must have access to the Internet and a valid method of payment in order to complete
11590-718: The public can find goods that are older and harder to find. Sometimes people are broke and borrow money from a pawn shop using an item of value as collateral . College students are known to resell books back through college textbook bookstores . Old used items are often distributed through surplus stores . Various types of retail stores that specialize in the selling of goods related to a theme include bookstores , boutiques , candy shops , liquor stores , gift shops , hardware stores , hobby stores , pet stores , pharmacies , sex shops and supermarkets . Other stores such as big-box stores , hypermarkets , convenience stores , department stores, general stores , dollar stores sell
11712-515: The public through third party marketplaces due to lack of accountability and regulation by online operators. In the United States alone, businesses are facing the brunt of organized retail crime with the value of stolen goods amounting to $ 68.8 billion in 2021 (equivalent to 1.47% of all sales or $ 214 per capita nationwide). These goods are typically passed off as legitimate, and resold online to unsuspecting buyers. The lack of full cost disclosure may also be problematic. While it may be easy to compare
11834-492: The publication of Bernard Mandeville 's influential work Fable of the Bees in 1714, in which he argued that a country's prosperity ultimately lay in the self-interest of the consumer. These trends gathered momentum in the 18th century, as rising prosperity and social mobility increased the number of people with disposable income for consumption. Important shifts included the marketing of goods for individuals as opposed to items for
11956-401: The purchaser's billing and shipping address to be in the same country as the online shop's base of operation. Other online shops allow customers from any country to send gifts anywhere. The financial part of a transaction may be processed in real time (e.g. letting the consumer know their credit card was declined before they log off), or may be done later as part of the fulfillment process. Once
12078-424: The residential area they are located in. There can be many groups of neighbourhood retailers in different areas of a region or city, but destination retailers are often part of shopping malls where the numbers of consumers is higher than that of a neighbourhood retail area. The destination retailers are becoming more prevalent as they can provide a community with more than the essentials, they offer an experience, and
12200-685: The retail revolution of the period. The term, "department store" originated in the United States. In 19th century England, these stores were known as emporia or warehouse shops. A number of major department stores opened across the US, Britain and Europe from the mid nineteenth century including; Harrod's of London in 1834; Kendall's in Manchester in 1836; Selfridges of London in 1909; Macy's of New York in 1858; Bloomingdale's in 1861; Sak's in 1867; J.C. Penney in 1902; Le Bon Marché of France in 1852 and Galeries Lafayette of France in 1905. The first reliably dated department store to be established,
12322-408: The same level of demand due to the difference in income level and other factors. Compared with the centralized nature of traditional markets, online consumption is more decentralized. In the online consumer market, consumers have a short decision time, a large variability of consumer demand, a large number of purchases, but a relatively small amount of each purchase, a considerable mobility of purchases,
12444-478: The second half of the 19th-century, shops transitioned from 'single-function' shops selling one type of good, to the department store where a large variety of goods were sold. As economic growth, fueled by the Industrial Revolution at the turn of the 19th-century, steadily expanded, the affluent bourgeois middle-class grew in size and wealth. This urbanized social group was the catalyst for the emergence of
12566-458: The self-interest of retailers and some of their more unethical practices. Attitudes to spending on luxury goods also attracted criticism, since it involved importing goods which did little to stimulate national accounts, and interfered with the growth of worthy local manufacturers. The modern phenomenon of shopping for pleasure is closely linked to the emergence of a middle class in the 17th and 18th-century Europe. As standards of living improved in
12688-444: The shop does not have to be created from scratch. By using an existing framework, software modules for various functionalities required by a web shop can be adapted and combined. Customers are attracted to online shopping not only because of high levels of convenience, but also because of broader selections, competitive pricing, and greater access to information. Business organizations seek to offer online shopping not only because it
12810-475: The site. Especially in cases of large or heavy products, delivery can be not only more convenient but also not require having or using a car. Not using or depending on personal vehicles, which can have substantial impact on the environment , to travel to local stores can make online shopping more sustainable than buying in local stores if such are used otherwise (especially if items are bundled and delivery vehicles are electric and use optimized routes). Moreover,
12932-531: The speciality stores area of Takashimaya Shopping Centre located from basement 2 to level 4 of Ngee Ann City, covering over 370,000 square feet. Shopping Shopping is an activity in which a customer browses the available goods or services presented by one or more retailers with the potential intent to purchase a suitable selection of them. A typology of shopper types has been developed by scholars which identifies one group of shoppers as recreational shoppers, that is, those who enjoy shopping and view it as
13054-452: The suitability of products for online transactions. Generic items that didn't necessitate physical interaction gained traction, propelling the online shopping trend forward. In its nascent stages, online shopping faced a limited audience. The early adopters were predominantly affluent males aged 30 and above. However, this demographic landscape underwent significant changes over time, and the online shopping sphere became more inclusive. Over
13176-400: The theatre. Restoration London also saw the growth of luxury buildings as advertisements for social position with speculative architects like Nicholas Barbon and Lionel Cranfield . Much pamphleteering of the time was devoted to justifying conspicuous consumption and private vice for luxury goods for the greater public good. This then scandalous line of thought caused great controversy with
13298-473: 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 . Internet consumers are self-conscious and emphasize personalized consumption, which makes the demand for online consumption different. Online consumers have different needs depending on their time and environment. Even different online consumers have different needs at
13420-633: The user experience. The popularity of online shopping continues to erode sales of conventional retailers. For example, Best Buy , the largest retailer of electronics in the U.S. in August 2014 reported its tenth consecutive quarterly dip in sales, citing an increasing shift by consumers to online shopping. Amazon.com has the largest market share in the United States. As of May 2018, a survey found two-thirds of Americans had bought something from Amazon (92% of those who had bought anything online), with 40% of online shoppers buying something from Amazon at least once
13542-417: The variety of products available and the perceived convenience of the buying online experience were significant motivating factors. This was different for offline shoppers, who were more motivated by time saving and recreational motives. English entrepreneur Michael Aldrich was a pioneer of online shopping in 1979. His system connected a modified domestic TV to a real-time transaction processing computer via
13664-930: The way people make their buying decisions; the Internet provides access to a lot of information about a particular product, which can be looked at, evaluated, and comparison-priced at any given time. Online shopping allows the buyer to save the time and expense, which would have been spent traveling to the store or mall. According to technology and research firm Forrester, mobile purchases or mcommerce will account for 49% of ecommerce, or $ 252 billion in sales, by 2020 Convenience stores are common in North America, and are often called "bodegas" in Spanish-speaking communities or " dépanneurs " in French-speaking ones. Sometimes peddlers and ice cream trucks pass through neighborhoods offering goods and services. Also, garage sales are
13786-412: The website is not secure, customer information can be accessible to anyone who knows how to obtain it. Most large online corporations are inventing new ways to make fraud more difficult. However, criminals are constantly responding to these developments with new ways to manipulate the system. Even though online retailers are making efforts to protect consumer information, it is a constant fight to maintain
13908-653: The years, the United Kingdom has witnessed a substantial shift in consumer behavior, with online shopping accounting for a noteworthy percentage of retail transactions. The extent of this influence varies depending on the product category, highlighting the diverse ways in which consumers engage with online platforms. As the revenues from online sales continued to grow significantly researchers identified different types of online shoppers, Rohm & Swaninathan identified four categories and named them " convenience shoppers, variety seekers, balanced buyers, and store-oriented shoppers ". They focused on shopping motivations and found that
14030-531: Was 2.8% in Canada. In the United Kingdom, online sales peaked at 37.8% of all retail sales in January 2021, and were at 26.3% in January 2024. Online customers must have access to the Internet and a valid method of payment in order to complete a transaction. Generally, higher levels of education and personal income correspond to more favorable perceptions of shopping online. Increased exposure to technology also increases
14152-462: Was Harding, Howell & Co, which opened in 1796 on Pall Mall , London . This venture was described as being a public retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different departments. This pioneering shop was closed down in 1820 when the business partnership was dissolved. Department stores were established on a large scale from the 1840s and 50s, in France, the United Kingdom and
14274-654: Was a favourite haunt of prostitutes, many of whom rented apartments in the building. In London, one of the first to use display windows in shops was retailer, Francis Place , who experimented with this new retailing method at his tailoring establishment in Charing Cross , where he fitted the shop-front with large plate glass windows. Although this was condemned by many, he defended his practice in his memoirs, claiming that he: Retailers designed attractive shop fronts to entice patronage, using bright lights, advertisements and attractively arranged goods. The goods on offer were in
14396-479: Was always a problem which affected the convenience of online shopping. Additionally, the online shopping industry has not only involved the concept of providing convenience for customers but also improved perceptions of social inclusion. However to overcome this many retailers including online retailers in Taiwan brought in a store pick up service. This now meant that customers could purchase goods online and pick them up at
14518-509: Was arguably the earliest example of a permanent retail shopfront. In the Roman world, the central market primarily served the local peasantry. Those who lived on the great estates were sufficiently attractive for merchants to call directly at their farm-gates, obviating their need to attend local markets. Shopping lists are known to have been used by Romans. One such list was discovered near Hadrian's wall dated back to 75–125 CE and written for
14640-405: Was of a mundane nature. For the main part, shopping was seen as a chore rather than a pleasure. Relatively few permanent shops were to be found outside the most populous cities. Instead customers walked into the tradesman's workshops where they discussed purchasing options directly with tradesmen. Itinerant vendors such as costermongers, hucksters and peddlers operated alongside markets, providing
14762-431: Was one of its applications. There, computer terminals located in different travel agencies were linked to a large IBM mainframe computer, which processed transactions simultaneously and coordinated them so that all travel agents had access to the same information at the same time. At some point between 1971 and 1972, students at Stanford and MIT used the internet precursor ARPANET to make a deal to exchange marijuana , but
14884-565: Was then built on the site, and was demolished to make way for Ngee Ann City. Redevelopment of the site was first considered as early as 1967. Ngee Ann City was planned by Ngee Ann Development and the Orchard Square Development Corporation in the late 1980s. Raymond Woo, the architect who designed the complex, drew inspiration from the Great Wall of China . The intent was to reflect the dignity , solidity and strength of
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