Academic literature on the topic 'Online Shopping Portal'

The increased use of smartphones and tablets, along with advanced security features being offered by the online retailers are adding strength to e-commerce industry. Growing at an astonishing rate at 85%, as against 65% growth of regular shopping over the previous year, internet retailing in India touched US $10.672 billion in 2013, making it one of the most anticipated destinations for national and multinational online retailers. Several web portals are looking to capture a share of this huge market. This study gains importance as Indian arms of multinational online selling companies like Amazon and eBay are fighting various home-grown players like Snapdeal, Flipkart and many more. The objective of this paper is to identify and rank the factors that influence the selection of web portal among online shoppers in India. Exploratory study was conducted to identify various precursors of web site selection for online shopping. Twenty-four variables identified from this study were used to create a structured questionnaire. This questionnaire was then administered among 203 shoppers in India using convenience sampling. To determine the factors that influence the selection of web portals. Principal Component Analysis with Varimax Rotation was used. The study condensed the comprehensive set of twenty-four variables into six factors that have a direct influence on consumers' choice of online buying website. These were transaction security, augmented benefits, user experience, cognitive stimuli, personalized assurance and web atmospherics. This is against the general perception that shoppers prefer the web portals with best user experience and attractive web atmospherics. The online buying population of the world's third largest economy selects the portals based on the primary motive of security in a transaction. Adding to the existing knowledge on shoppers' selection of online buying portals, the study reveals the prevalence of a multitude of antecedent factors and distinct patterns with respect to constituents of these factors. Findings of this research may be used as guidelines for the development of multi-dimensional strategic framework by online retailing firms.

The aim of this study was to analyze the perceptions and entering status of small business online fashion retailers on portal shopping and fashion shopping malls. Case studies were conducted on a total of 10 research samples. The results were as follows: first, regarding the strategic factors of online fashion stores, ‘price competitiveness’ is important, especially in portal shopping and low-cost brands; ‘product assortment’ is important but not essential in all platforms; and ‘differentiation’ is important to continuously secure loyal customers in fashion shopping malls. Customer satisfaction leads to customer loyalty, and customer loyalty affects the sales conversion rate and brand growth of online sales channels. Factors that promoted sales activities in online sales channels were exposure, advertisements, SNS, events, special exhibitions, and events. Hindrance factors were low price competition, overheated competition, and the MD of sales channels. Second, the research samples used multiple online sales channels, including portal shopping malls and fashion shopping malls, in addition to their own malls. The selection factors were platform reputation and commission, branding, and customer inflow through exposure. Portal shopping malls were perceived as providing easy access, advertising/customer communication, exposure/search, price competitiveness, scalability, and intense competition, whereas fashion shopping malls were perceived as providing a brand image and concept, brand promotion, high commissions, difficult entry, and low profits. The factors for success in portal shopping malls were exposure/search, price competitiveness, and brand recognition, whereas the factors for success in fashion shopping malls were differentiation, brand, exposure/advertisement, product assortment, and MD.

The popularity of online shopping among Nepalese customers has increased with the cost-reduction of technology-based goods, the cost of internet services, and easy access to the internet. At the same time, the convenient modes of payments, and user-friendly, as well as, interactive shopping apps are further paving a pathway to unprecedented growth in the online shopping companies. The online shopping companies in Nepal have been seen following the Business to Consumer (B2C), Customer to Customer (C2C), or the ‘Facebook Store’ business model. The paper has taken 300 respondents, as a sample, who have at least twice shopping experiences, from a single online shopping company. The multiple-choice question, and open-end questions related to the preference, and problems faced were asked while going for online shopping in Nepal. In context to Nepal, time-saving, offers, easy ordering system and information available at the online shopping portal, were the main reasons for the shoppers, to prefer online shopping. The service quality provided by the online company, made the Nepalese customer, prefer online shopping. The quality of the product delivered to the customer was seen to be the major problem in Nepalese online shopping. The delivery of the wrong product was also seen one of the problems in online shopping in Nepal.

Abstract: Till today, Web portal Model is popular e- business model which is selling a wide range of products, with both depth and breadth of range. However, over recent years, consumers have become more discerning due to changing lifestyles, spending priorities and shopping patterns (Fisher, 1998). The focus of this research paper is to draw attention of marketers and shoppers towards the need to develop a hypothetical model named Global Super Store Model, is to change the consumer towards provision of providing a wide range of products with price comparison facility on a single portal along with a huge range of brand name suppliers. This research paper is also an attempt to find out the impact of online marketing practices on both existing Web Portal Model and our Global Super Store Model for choice as a determinant. Keywords: Choice, Global super store, Online Shopping, Web portal model, Online marketing practices, India.

The growth of the internet as a secure online shopping channel has developed since 1994. With the Increasing number of e-commerce portal, we are now heavily inclined to online shopping. One of the benefits of online shopping is the ability to read reviews about the product purchased. This paper presents a semi-supervised approach for opinion mining using online product reviews obtained from Amazon website. A semi-supervised model regards identifying opinion relation as an alignment process and gives more precision in comparison to unsupervised model. Opinion mining of online reviews is needed for first-hand assessments of product information and direct supervision of their purchase actions. Manufacturers can obtain immediate feedback and opportunities to improve the quality of their products in a timely fashion.

Various innovations have been made to solve problems in increasing consumer confidence to shop safely on e-commerce portals. This study aims to determine the level of consumer confidence in the e-commerce innovation model, as well as to explore the academic point of view. The study used a descriptive approach. The number of respondents in this study was 61 respondents for Students consumers, and 3 explanations from the perspective of academics. The results of the study show various problems that are often experienced by consumers and make consumer confidence relatively low, including; the first is the issue of personal information security, and the second is the issue of conformity with consumer expectations. Consumers believe that buying and selling online increases their shopping effectiveness. In addition, consumers perceive that the presence of an e-commerce portal provides great benefits for the ease of finding goods and services that consumers need. The tendency of consumers to shop online in the future will continue to increase, but consumers have not fully demonstrated the belief that mainstream online buying and selling in the future is more desirable than shopping in shopping centers

Providing consumers with a positive and satisfying online shopping experience is the goal of the web operator. Therefore, in this paper, the authors use overhead construction to extend Csikszentmihalyi’s proposed flow theory (1975) to the computer intermediary environment and discuss the web portal game from the perspective of flow experience to identify possible causes and positive and negative results, as well as understand customer utility and hedonic motives in online shopping. In this research, the portal game is in play in the online consumer’s flow experience. This study also explores customer benefit and the effect on consumer behavior brought about by the identification of consumer preference and purchase intention. This study used an internet questionnaire survey to obtain 442 valid responses for data analysis. The results reveal that different Web site characteristics affect the flow experience and indirectly affect customer value; the results also indicate positive preferences and positive expense results. These results may serve as a reference for future Web site industry management policy and marketing strategy.

This empirical study aims to examine the factors that Online Shopping Users exhibit which can be used to help the online shopping platforms further work on their online presence in order to make sure that all potential users stay on their platforms and most of all, are content using their platforms. Personality, Web Experiences, Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, Attitude were used to determine how these factors affect Online Shoppers. A survey (Google Forms) was distributed via social media and social messengers which comprised of virtually infinite respondents. The results showed that most of our respondents are not akin to finding the perceived usability or perceived ease of use of online shopping irrespective they have a certain online leadership style, or are impulsive buyers, and are also not deterred even if they are satisfied with a website or are security conscious. But if they end up finding an online system useful and user-friendly, they will definitely intend to come back to the online portal again for future purchases. This research was conducted inside Pakistan comprising respondents distributed in different cities due to the questionnaire being circulated via online mediums. Future researchers can employ the same model to conduct the same research in another country. This study proposes a framework to quantitatively analyzing the link between different aspects of Personality and different aspects of Web Experiences with Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use, and furthermore the Attitude of the respondents towards Online Shopping Platforms.

In this study, research to improve efficiency of online advertising market, we would like to propose a new performance index called "Leakage Ratio" which can increase the efficiency of advertisement. Methods/Statistical analysis: Naver, the Internet portal site in Korea, is the most influential medium for online keyword search advertising. In this study, Leakage Ratio management is applied to online keyword search ads for five medium and large size online shopping malls at Naver. Based on the performance trend of each search keyword, we tried to improve the efficiency of the whole advertisement by changing the bid of the low efficiency keyword.

The purpose of this study is to explore online consumers' experiential response towards visual user-generated content in online shopping environments for fashion online shopping. The Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework has been widely used in online shopping environment studies to examine the effect of website attributes on online shoppers' internal affective and cognitive states, and shopping behaviour (Kawaf and Tagg, 2012). Recent literature in the field proposes a more holistic approach towards online experiences (e.g., Pentina, Amialchuk, and Taylor, 2011) which is conceptualise to mediate the relationship between website attributes and behavioural responses. Consumer experiences are considered to be a critical concept in consumer behaviour and marketing for understanding consumers and to create competitive advantage in online retailing (Schmitt, 2010). Building on existing online shopping environment research, the study conceptualises online experiences for fashion online. This study seeks to investigate online consumers' experiential responses (aesthetics, relational, emotional, Flow experience and interactivity) towards two visual user-generated stimulus: (1) Looks - photographs of individuals modelling their own fashion, and (2) Outfits - digital collages displaying an assortment of products centred around a theme. They are both features which have been created by community members in an online social shopping community, ASOS Fashion Finder. The context of this study was exploratory and utilised a mixed methods approach where 13 photo-elicited interviews (PEI) with female online shoppers of ASOS, aged 18-34, were conducted to identify and understand consumers' online experiential responses and online shopping intentions towards the two visual stimulus. Using the same sample criteria, an online survey with 555 responses was also conducted to measure and test relationships between consumers' experiential responses and shopping intentions. The results of this study provides insight to the experiential states of fashion online consumers for online retail marketing, and contributes knowledge to research literature and theory on online shopping environments and customer experiences.

In 2010, the UK plus size fashion market is worth £5.2 billion, 35% of which accounted for by the UK plus size fashion online market which has been estimated to be worth £1.8 billion. This research investigates plus size fashion online shopping motivations variables and uses primary quantitative data and statistical data analysis techniques to analyse and conceptualise the resulting scale framework of plus size fashion online shopping motivations. The objectives of this research are: to examine and review existing relevant academic literature; to review and reveal the most appropriate research design; to identify research hypotheses; to produce data; to analyse and evaluate plus size fashion online shopping motivations; and to conceptualise and interpret a scale item framework of plus size fashion online shopping motivations. This research accepts the pragmatic ontological perspective and realist epistemological standpoint whereby reality is 'real' but is difficult to scientifically uncover its entirety. It accepts that the data collected via a positivist methodology can be considered mostly true and as objective as the limitations of research allow. An online questionnaire sent to a quota sample of 100,000 consumers of a plus size fashion online retailer resulted in 502 respondents.Analysis, conceptualisation and interpretation of the resulting scale framework of plus size fashion online shopping motivations reveals that there are nine plus size fashion online shopping motivation factors. Plus size fashion online consumers have distinct and specific plus size fashion online shopping motivations and measures that are predominantly influenced by accessing a selection of fashion products, fashion and the hedonic value of shopping for fashion, and less so influenced by utilitarian values. A selection of fashion products in their size is the strongest plus size fashion online shopping motivation and is a reflection of the relatively lacking plus size offering on the High Street. Privacy was extracted and interpreted as a specific factor but was not deemed a key plus size fashion online shopping motivation. This academically rigorous and verified understanding of plus size fashion online shopping motivations is imperative both in terms of the gap it fills in academic knowledge and implications to plus size fashion online retailers.

Populations are ageing. Despite this, there is relatively little research concerning ageing consumers and online shopping. Online shopping revenues are growing in the UK, and the ageing Baby Boomer cohort (born between 1945-1965) represents a valuable segment of online consumers who do not conform to stereotypes of ageing consumers as anxious adopters of technology. There is a need to better understand ageing Baby Boomers as online consumers. This thesis adopts a social constructionist perspective of ageing as a multi-dimensional process of biological, psychological and social changes, shaped by socio-historic contexts across the lifecourse. In-depth interviews and observations are conducted with thirty-one Baby Boomers in the UK. Using a grounded theory approach, an original framework is developed to understand how Baby Boomers socially construct online shopping ideologies in relation to ageing identity. The framework consists of three key theoretical categories: ageing identity, consumption ideologies, and technology ideologies. Each of these categories relates to the other. Ageing identity influences interpretations of technology and consumption, and likewise interpretations of technology and consumption ideologies influence how Baby Boomers construct ageing identity. he findings reveal that interactions with online shopping technologies can influence ageing identity in different ways. Interactions can either make participants feel older, particularly when encountering difficulties in using online shopping websites, or reinforce a more youthful self-concept in ‘staying young’ by keeping up with technology. This thesis makes an original contribution by developing an understanding of how Baby Boomers construct online shopping ideologies in relation to socio-historic contexts and ageing identity, examining how online shopping experiences shape social constructions of ageing identity. This research reveals how improving the design of online retail environments can positively influence social constructions of ageing identity. Accommodating the needs of ageing consumers in online shopping environments can help Baby Boomers maintain independence as they age.

India has an internet user base of about 137 million as of June 2012. The penetration of e-commerce is low compared to markets like the United States and the United Kingdom but is growing at a much faster rate with a large number of new entrants. Hence, it becomes inevitable to understand what drives the online shopping business. In the report we shall try to answer of the following questions, some in brief and some in great detail. Key Objectives-  To understand the key criterion Customer selects an online shopping portal.  To understand the retailers perspective on improving shopping experience.  To understand the threats & opportunities for the e-retailers specific to Indian context.  Benchmarking the top retailers against the key performance factors.  Understanding the future of online shopping for India 2020. Key Drivers of the industry - Indian online retailing growth is at an inflection point with key drivers being Increasing broadband Internet (growing at 20% MoM) and 3G penetration. Also, the rising standards of living and a burgeoning, upwardly mobile middle class with high disposable incomes. Then we can not neglect the growing availability of much wider product range (including long tail and Direct Imports) compared to what is available at brick and mortar retailers. Also,the busy lifestyles, urban traffic congestion and lack of time for offline shopping. In addition Lower prices compared to brick and mortar retail driven by disintermediation and reduced inventory and real estate costs. Increased usage of online classified sites, with more consumer buying and selling second-hand goods. Evolution of the online marketplace model with sites like ebay, Flipkart, Amazon etc. vii Key performance factors from customers perspective After interviewing and surveying 100+ odd respondents we found that the their were few key factors that determined the customer choice of buying or not buying the from the online shopping portals. These were-  Product Quality It still remains the most crucial factor for the customer. Attributes included are accuracy of product description in terms of quality,size, taste or color, reverse pickup services.  Product Range Is one of the key determining factors for the success of an online shopping portal.Attributes included here are various product ranges, sub categories, variety with them for different price points.  Competitive Pricing Has always been the discrimination factor, but has never been easier than times today. Attributes included are -Offers, Loyalty Discounts,Seasonal offers etc.  Timely Delivery Throughout the market customer is sensitive to the on time delivery of the products and the services. Where generic products offer delivery time to 2-5 days, generoc products may take 7-30 days.  Brand Value It was easy to expect the brand value as a key determining factor as that could be one of the ways to ensure a good quality product.Attributes included are the presence of differnent known brandsin product portfolio. While creating the performance matrix we used these performance indicators to judge the various online shopping portals. Key performance factors from retailers perspective After interviewing studying various industry reports1 we tried to understand what are the key areas each of the retailer is trying to excel. Our study found that few retailers performed quite well on the benchmarked areas while few terribly failed. It was also evident from their overall performance. So the goals from the retailer’s pint of view were- Supply Chain Expertise: Is one of the key factor that defines the profitability 1 Billett, S. (2010). Constituting the e retail workspace, Best practices in the online supply chain 38, 31-48 viii of any online retailer. Attributes includes - Investment in inventory planning, JIT system, 3PL etc. Then its Delivery Efficiency: Has become critical for not the customer but also the retailer. Attributes includes - Owning their freight, In transit delivery etc. Third important criterion was Improved Merchandising: Includes the retailer's ability to large product lines. Attributes include - Large No. of Brands, Large product range etc. Also, Customer Experience need to be enhanced for greater repeated sales. Attributes include- Easy user interface, reverse pickup services etc. And finally the call for tomorrow- Differentiation: Is one of the attributes that would distinct the portals from each other. Attributes include -e service, product portfolio etc. Online portals used for the Competitive Landscape Analysis2 Out of more than 750+ local online shopping portals we studied 5 of them in detail and marked them against each other to identify the best practised followed by them and identify the best and worst performer against various indicators. The portals identified for the same were- -Jabong.com (The recent success story, trying to make a mark in 18 months of its inception). -Flipkart.com (First Indian online shopping portal founded by Bangalore based Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal in 2007) -Amazon.com (A recent venture in Indian market, yet to make its mark but stands strong in International presence) -ebay.in (An international brand in Online shopping but yet to discover its full potential in Indian markets) -Myntra (Indian by origin and famous for unique products at an exceptional value for Indian households) 2 Is a consulting tools developed by Zenesys Consulting to benchmark industry competitors. ix What withholds Indian market to reach its full potential? The domestic e-retail market has the potential to grow between $ 125 billion and $ 260 billion by 2024-25, according to an industry report. The report, 'E-retail: A boon for the current economic downturn' by First Data Corporation and ICICI Merchant Services, says urban Indian consumers are now confident enough to make online purchases of up to Rs 25,000, from Rs 2,000- 5,000 in the recent past. Having said that, what withholds the market from reaching its full potential?? We studied this aspect in detail to indentify that the reasons correspond to 3 levels forming a Scope Pentagon. Three levels are-  General market perspective and best practises followed.  Limitations of the retailers in terms of logistics and product merchandising  Limitations from customer’s point of view i.e. low credit card penetration and Internet coverage.

碩士
國立屏東商業技術學院
企業電子化研究所
100
With the rapid development of internet and prevalence in online shopping, online store has become a great marketing channel for businesses and many portals also provide a platform for business to set up an online store. Thus, under the strong competition between online stores, how to build the trust of online consumer and increase their purchase intention had always been an important research issue. Nonetheless most prior studies regarding online store focus on the effect of online stores website quality and perceived risk on consumers’ trust and only few studies discuss the effect of online shopping portals for store and store ratings on consumers’ trust and purchase intention.This study develops a research framework based on literature review, which aims to explore whether online shopping portals for store, online store ratings, third-party assurance, and store awareness affect consumers’ trust towards online store. This study consider online store ratings,third-party assurance, online store awareness and perceived quality as antecedents of trust to explore whether they would affect consumers’ purchase intention.The target population of this study is the online consumer. This study took Yahoo Mall website as the online shopping portals for store.Third-party assurance (trust marks and no trust marks), online store ratings (high score and low score) and online store awareness (high and low) are manipulated in a 2×2×2 factorial experiment. The data are analyzed with statistical tests including independent sample t test and three-way ANOVA. This study is based on an internet-based survey used with data collection and totally 517 samples are availed. The result shows that: (1) Online shopping portals for store positively affects consumer trust toward portal. (2) Consumer trust toward portal positively affects consumer trust toward online store.(3) Online store ratings positively affects consumer trust toward online store. (4) Third-party assurance positively affects consumer trust toward online store. (5) Online store awareness positively affects consumer trust toward online store. (6) Perceived quality positively affects consumer trust toward online store. (7) Consumer trust toward portal positively affects purchase intention. (8)Consumer trust toward online store positively affects purchase intention. Finally, the study according to the research results proposes management implications and future research suggestions.

A portal is defined as an entrance point to online content. The portal concept has evolved across a number of markets and applications. Customer portals focus on individual customer and offer a one-stop Internet access. By providing a number of services, such as searches, shopping, e-mail, and games, portals allow individuals to avoid browsing the Web but to in-fact rely and stay at one Web site like a one-stop shop. Accordingly, portals drive eyeballs, and hence create and drive advertising revenue and alliances. The concept of a single public port to given content on the Internet is used as a means of pulling in a large number of users. As an example, America Online (AOL) acts as a portal site to general Web content. It is a specialized portal created by AOL and also has content from partners such as Time Warner (Kleindl, 2003). This article reviews the role of portals in consumer search behavior and certain aspects in marketing.

This article describes how the exponential growth of e-commerce in India and the presence of many national and multinational e-retailers has set the trend for the major overhaul of the online industry. Most of the e-retailers have failed to differentiate themselves from the competitors. This has resulted in their failure to attract and retain the right set of consumers for their respective businesses. The present paper is aimed at identifying and developing the typology of online shoppers based on importance given by them to shopping values and web portal features. The data collected was analysed using factor, cluster and correspondence analyses. The article identifies four types of online shoppers – ‘Information Seekers,' ‘Utility Seekers,' ‘Value Seekers' and ‘Core Shoppers.' Each of these four segments display significant differences and this information can be strategically used by web retailers in targeting their markets effectively.

In mobile commerce (m-commerce), consumers engage a ubiquitous computing environment that allows them to access and exchange information anywhere and anytime through wireless handheld devices (Lyttinen & Yoo, 2002). While consumers generally sit before personal computers to browse e-commerce websites through the Internet, they are free to move around while connected in m-commerce and can truly be called mobile consumers. Compared with stationary consumers in e-commerce, mobile consumers have special information needs regarding their changing environment. Consumers mainly access information through wireless portals in m-commerce. A lot of these portals provide mobile consumers information specific to where they are. For example, various location-based services have emerged to push information about what is available and occurring nearby to mobile consumers (Rao & Minakakis, 2003). Such wireless portal services overcome the difficulty of searching information with handheld devices, typically cell phones. However, pushing information to users based on where they are may annoy them, because this approach disregards the specific needs and interests of people in context and deprives their control over what they want to know (Barkhuus & Dey, 2003). In contrast to information pushed by product or service providers, consumers are likely to regard peer-to-peer reference groups as credible sources of product/service information and be open to their informational influence (Miniard & Cohen, 1983). For example, if consumers hear from others that nearby stores offer discounts on certain commodities, they may go to these stores to have a look for themselves. To capitalize on such business opportunities in m-commerce, this article proposes a community portal approach, a so-called wireless local community (WLC). As the name suggests, a WLC is a virtual community that allows mobile consumers in a functionallydefined area to exchange information about what is available and occurring nearby with each other through wireless handheld devices. By far, most virtual communities are built upon the infrastructure of the Internet and they refer to “… groups of people with common interests and needs who come together online… to share a sense of community with like-minded strangers, regardless of where they live” (Hagel & Armstrong, 1997, p.143). Like members in these online communities, WLC members must share something that they are interested in and need in common. Because WLC membership is geographically determined, WLC coverage areas must “supply” what can potentially meet the interests and needs of mobile consumers in them, and such areas may include: shopping plazas, tourist parks, and sports facilities, among others. These functionally-defined areas, which determine the scope, theme, and membership of WLCs, are the settings in which consumer behavior occurs and they constitute the supply contexts of local consumers. In this sense, WLCs are context-based virtual communities, in contrast to most on-line communities, which are generally topic-based. This article first outlines the macro-level conceptual design of the WLC approach and discusses its technical, operational, and economical feasibilities. The success of WLCs, like that of online communities, largely depends on how micro-level implementations can promote member participation and enhance member experience. Based on an understanding of how mobile consumers share contextual information through the mediation of WLCs, this article discusses specific implementation issues.

This chapter discusses the outcomes of online browsing for consumers, a behavior that is on the rise as social media and online content increased exponentially in the last year. An extensive literature review about browsing and its outcomes to consumer behavior, together with empirical data collected from 10 in-depth interviews with Generation Z consumers from Portugal, showcased that online browsing mainly produces positive outcomes, such as discovering new brands and products, increasing product knowledge and therefore improving consumer confidence in their purchase decision. Gen Z consumers from Portugal behave as expected, except that because they live in a more conservative and traditional context, they still have some barriers to online shopping and experience more traditional retail in their daily lives. However, the positive outcomes for online browsing remain the same, as consumers from this generation are digital natives.

Luxury brands took to online selling belatedly, but they realized that they must be where their customers are. But this posed a problem for them: how could they maintain their aura of exclusivity in an online world, where e-commerce portals selling discount items are just a click away? By combining the elements of O2O worlds, luxury brands have achieved a synergy with their physical stores. Luxury brands have been able to convey their aesthetic appeal, store trust, shopping experience, customer service, and sense of power online as well. Online presence helps in displaying products, providing information, selling, and linking inventories of various stores. In that sense, the omni-channel experience has helped build customer experience for luxury brands as well. This chapter explains how O2O integration helps luxury brands combine their exclusive aura with online capabilities to deliver customer engagement and service, thereby building brands in the long run.

The aims of this exploratory research are to evaluate customer and retailer perceptions of the decline of the UK High Street1 and investigate the potential of the service encounter, specifically customer service, as a means to reverse this decline. The background to this research is one where the UK High Street is in decline as a result of out-of-town retailing, the growth in the use of technology and online shopping, and high business rates and rents (Bignell & Lefty, 2013; Bamfield, 2013; Milliken, 2012; Poulter, 2012; Hall, 2011; Portas, 2011). Using interviews in 2013 across four Scottish cities (Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, and Glasgow) with 40 retailers (national chains and independents) across the fashion, footwear, jewellery and health and beauty sectors, and 40 customers aged between 18 and 60, the chapter reveals that unlike the retailers in this study, customers are not of the opinion that an improvement in current, in some cases, “disappointing” customer service would encourage them back to the High Street. Rather customers thought solutions to the decline in the UK High Street lay in combining the appeal of online convenience and choice with the tangibility of the physical store experience.

Chatbots have been applied by brands for providing customer care online, but most experiences are at an early stage. The research sets out to explore which advantages and disadvantages chatbots can bring to brands when used in customer care by studying two companies in Portugal. These exploratory comparative case studies were explored with qualitative methods, namely in-depth interviews with relevant agents. The authors concluded that chatbots afford positive results for brands, such as reducing customer care costs and enhancing proximity by being constantly available and responding promptly, but they also pose risks. They start out with an initial database of matches between keywords, questions, and answers and need interaction to evolve and improve. During this initial stage, they often afford negative brand experiences and require constant human monitoring and curating. However, in a maturity stage, they can enhance performance and satisfaction of customer care, motivate shopping by impulse, and nurture loyalty.

The Internet has changed the way many consumers shop, not just in the digital domain, but also in the physical world. E-tailing is a subset of e-commerce, which encapsulates all “commerce” conducted via the Internet. It refers to that part of e-commerce which entails the sale of product merchandise and does not include sale of services viz. Railway tickets, airlines tickets, job portals, etc. In 2012, the size of India's e-commerce market was USD 10 billion, while that of the e-tailing market was USD 0.6 billion. The current small size of e-tailing has led to it rarely being assessed on standalone basis. It is either clubbed with e-commerce or with brick & mortar retail, which, while not incorrect, does not allow for e-tailing's evaluation on its own merit. Consumer's perception regarding shopping has been changed with the introduction of internet media. Retail industry has witnessed major revolution in the changing technology oriented business scenario of the twenty-first century in India. Internet has shrunk the entire World. The rules of the game in retailing are fast changing with the introduction of Information Technology. The e-Retailing website is the front door of the online store that interacts between the e-retailer and consumers. The electronic retailing (e-Tailing, e-Retailing, internet retailing etc.) is the model of selling of retail goods using electronic media, in particular, the internet. In this research paper the authors propose to explore the factors contributing to the growth of e–Retailing in India and to investigate conceptually the issues and challenges involved in e- Retailing An attempt in this paper will also be made to study the present scenarios of e-tailing opportunities, its market, the viabilities and trends.