ONLINE SHOPPING

INTRODUCTION:-
Online shopping is the process consumers go through to purchase products,
goods or services over the Internet. An online shop, eshop, e-store, internet shop,
webshop, webstore, online store, or virtual store evokes the physical analogy of
buying products or services at a bricks-and-mortar retailer or in a shopping mall.
The metaphor of an online catalog is also used, by analogy with mail order
catalogs. All types of stores have retail web sites, including those that do and do
not also have physical storefronts and paper catalogs. Online shopping is a type of
electronic commerce used for business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-
consumer (B2C) transactions.

WEBSHOP:-
The term "webshop" also refers to a place of business where web development,
web hosting and other types of web related activities take place (Web refers to
the World Wide Web and "shop" has a colloquial meaning used to describe the
place). Buying online introduced new ways of reducing costs by reducing the
number of staff needed. It is a more effective way of getting products to people
and spreading into different demographic
The world's first recorded B2C was Gateshead SIS/Tesco in May 1984.
In 1990 Tim Berners-Lee created the first World Wide Web server and browser. In
1994 other advances took place, such as online banking and the opening of an
online pizza shop by Pizza Hut. During that same year,
Netscape introduced SSL encryption of data transferred online, which has become
essential for secure online shopping. In 1995 Amazon expanded its online
shopping, and in 1996 eBay appeared. More recently Overstock has also become
one of the world largest and reliable online shopping stores.

TRENDS:-
One third of people that shop online use a search engine to find what they are
looking for and about one fourth find websites by word of mouth. Word of mouth
has become a leading way by which people find shopping websites. When an
online shopper has a good first experience with a certain website, sixty percent of
the time they will return to that website to buy more.
Books are one of the things bought most online. However, clothes, shoes, and
accessories are all very popular things bought online. Cosmetics, nutrition
products, and groceries are increasingly being purchased online.
About one fourth of travelers buy their plane tickets online because it is a quick
and easy way to compare airline travel and make a purchase. Online shopping
provides more freedom and control than shopping in a store.
From a sociological perspective, online shopping is arguably the most predictable
way to shop. One knows exactly what website to go to, how much the product
will cost, and how long it will take for the product to reach them. Online shopping
has become extremely routine and predictable, which is one of its great appeals
to the consumer.
We pioneered online shopping in India over 10 years back. You can shop online
for over 4 million items. Checkout the latest mobile phone or digital cameras, or
gift flowers or some chocolates and cakes to some one you love. Try some latest
apparel online. Send Gifts to someone special - we suggest ethnic jewellery,
paintings, designer watches, perfumes or soft toys. Check out for great deals in
our Electronics and Appliances stores. Most of these items qualify for free
shipping across India Go ahead and enjoy online shopping at India's largest online
shopping site.

At Indiaplaza.in, you can read reviews and buy books, music, movies, CD-ROMs,
apparel, jewellery, watches, digital cameras, iPods and MP3 players, mobile
phones and accessories, flowers, chocolates, cakes, sweets, festive hampers for
Diwali, Rakhi, Valentines Day, Mother's Day, condoms, cosmetics, perfumes,
leather articles, foods, and lots more. With over 4 million items available for
online shopping, Indiaplaza offers a wide selection of products to customers
shopping online at low prices and deep discounts. Many of these items qualify for
free shipping across India & Indiaplaza is the largest online shopping site that
ships products to anywhere in India.

Indiaplaza.in is the only online shopping web site in India with over 10 years of
experience serving customers who have been shopping online. The online
shopping operations at Indiaplaza are controlled by a professional management
team.

Indiaplaza is the first online shopping site to have been certified as a safe and
secure online shopping site by Verisign with a EV SSL class 3 security certification
& online buying is made very safe and convenient for customers. Over a million
customers in India have already shopped online at Indiaplaza and the base of
loyal online shopping customers is growing at a rapid pace.

Why shop online at Indiaplaza?

Indiaplaza is India's largest online shopping mall with 10 years of experience. You
can shop online for over 4 million products. Online shopping at Indiaplaza is quick
and easy as the wide range of products are categorized in a very convenient and
user friendly manner. Many of the million items available for online shopping are
on deep discounts and we also offer low prices on the entire range of products.
 Indiaplaza is the largest online shopping website that ships products to anywhere
in India. Indiaplaza is the first online shopping site to have been certified as a safe
and secure site to buy online by Verisign with a EV SSL class 3 security
certification. When you shop online at Indiaplaza,you'll discover a new world and
a new you. Over a million customers in India have already shopped online at
Indiaplaza and the base of loyal online shopping customers is growing at a rapid
pace. Indiaplaza is also the preferred online shopping destination for millions of
NRIs and PIOs who use the site to send gifts to India and stay connected with the
friends and relatives. Indiaplaza is very popular for sending gifts to India for Rakhi,
Diwali, Mother's Day, Valentines Day, Fathers Day, Christmas and also for sending
birthday cakes, anniversary cakes, sending flowers for any special occasions.

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

Loyalty / Reward Programs Corporate Gifting / Giveaways

 Business Partners,  Company events
Associates  Festivals / Calendar events
 Consumers  Birthdays / Anniversaries
 Employees  Employee motivational programs
Sales Promotions / Product Gift Certificates
schemes Indiaplaza.in gift vouchers give you
 Customized – Special Offers the widest redemption option
 Sales incentives
 Dealership programs They provide you the 
 Choice of over 3.5 million
Web Services products & categories
 Online Sales Channel  Flexibility to shop 24/7 from any
 Total management – An where
outsourced model  Hassle free, time & cost saving
for employers
 
 SECURTIY SYSTEM OF INDIAPLAZA
Shopping online at Indiaplaza is safe! At Indiaplaza, we are committed to
providing you a secure online shopping experience. We are giving below a few
things we have put in place, to make you feel comfortable and secure while
shopping online.

As a consumer, there a few things you need to check out before you start
transacting online:

1. You must have a method by which you can get in touch with the relevant
people at online stores over phone, fax, email, using a live chat or in person. 

2.  See if the web store offers a "Privacy Policy" where they commit to safeguard
your personal details and not just rent or lease them out to any third party
company. Such a privacy policy indicates a long term commitment to customers
instead of a fly-by-night approach.

3. Before you submit credit card details, make sure you do so over secure links.
(Indiaplaza offers secure links indicating usage of encryption technologies like SSL
(Secure Socket Layer) to prevent third party access of the data while it is in transit
over the web). 

4. When you use your card in physical outlets / stores, you leave behind your
credit card number on the charge slips. (To prevent others from merely using this
number, Indiaplaza insists that consumers also enter the CVV (Credit Verification
Value), while entering credit card details. This number is typically available only at
the back of your credit card number, to ensure that the person entering the card
number has the physical plastic with him/her).

In cases where you are using direct savings bank account debits, you always get
connected to the web site of the bank directly, which means you are submitting
your account details to the bank and not to the merchant (Indiaplaza).
 PAYMENT SYSTEM AT INDIAPLAZA
Indiaplaza offers consumers a variety of convenient payment options to choose
from, so that they can transact at Indiaplaza safely and conveniently in a secure
manner. Indiaplaza uses industry standard 128 bit SSL (Secure Socket Layer)
encryption technology, so that whenever you submit sensitive information to us
like your personal details or credit card information, third parties cannot get
access to it, while it is in transit over the Internet.
At Indiaplaza, we accept the following payment options:

Credit Cards:

All American Express, Diners, MasterCard and Visa credit cards (both Indian and
International) and the Citibank e-card are accepted at Indiaplaza.

Debit Cards:

You can pay for your order using one of the VISA Debit Cards. State Bank of
India,HDFC bank, Axis Bank, Deutsche Bank, Karur Vysya Bank, Corp Bank and
Indian Overseas Bank Visa Debit Cards.

Zip CASH:

ZiPCASH is a Mobile Payment System that lets you make payments from your
phone through simple SMSing. It’s available in the form of electronic vouchers
which you can buy over the counter at ZipCash recharge outlets or through online
recharge system.

Paymate:
Paymate is an SMS based payment service that helps you shop online and make
payments using your mobile phone as a credit or debit card. All you need to have
is a mobile phone and a credit or debit card account with Citibank or Corporation
Bank.
Debit to Bank accounts:

You can pay for your order through an automatic debit to your accounts with
Citibank Suvidha, Citibank Bank Accounts, Citibank NR/RC Account, Federal Bank
(FedNet), Global Trust Bank, HDFC Bank, idbi bank inetbanking, Centurion Bank
ePay Funds, ICICI Bank Infinity and UTI Bank.

Indiaplaza In-store Payment Options:

You can pay for your orders in part or in full by using Indiaplaza Gift
Certificates, Indiaplaza Reward Points or the Indiaplaza Prepaid Account.

Other Payment Options: 

You can also send us a cheque or a demand draft to pay for your order. Please
select the "Pay by Cheque / Demand Draft" option to utilize this facility. Please
note that we will not be able to accept cheques or demand drafts, which are less
than Rs. 100/-.

 
In case you have to make a payment to Indiaplaza below Rs. 100/-, we
recommend that you still send us a cheque for Rs 100/-. We will credit the
balance amount to a Prepaid Account in your name, which can be used for future
purchases on the store.

For example, if you have to pay us Rs. 32 towards an order, please send us a
cheque for Rs. 100/-. We will use Rs. 32/- to pay for your order and credit Rs. 68/-
into a prepaid account. This prepaid account can be used by you to pay for future
purchases at Indiaplaza.
 SHOPPING CART SYSTEMS

1. Simple systems allow the offline administration of products and categories.

The shop is then generated as HTML files and graphics that can be
uploaded to a webspace. These systems do not use an online database.

2. A high end solution can be bought or rented as a standalone program or as

an addition to an enterprise resource planning program. It is usually
installed on the company's own 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.

3. Other solutions allow the user to register and create an online shop on a
portal that hosts multiple shops at the same time.

4. Open source shopping cart packages include advanced platforms such as

Interchange, and off the shelf solutions as Avactis, Satchmo,osCommerce,
Magento, Zen Cart, VirtueMart, Batavi and PrestaShop.

5. Commercial systems can also be tailored to ones needs so that the shop
does not have to be created from scratch. By using a framework already
existing, software modules for different functionalities required by a web
shop can be adapted and combined.

ADVANTAGES:-

1. Convenience
Online stores are usually available 24 hours a day, and many consumers have
Internet access both at work and at home. Other establishments such as internet
cafes and schools provide access as well. A visit to a conventional retail store
requires travel and must take place during business hours.
Searching or browsing an online catalog can be faster than browsing the aisles of
a physical store. One can avoid crowded malls resulting in long lines, and no
parking. Consumers with dial-up Internet connections rather than broadband
have much longer load times for content-rich web sites and have a considerably
slower online shopping experience.
 2. Information and reviews
Online stores must describe products for sale with text, photos, and multimedia
files, whereas in 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.

3. Price and selection

One advantage of shopping online is being able to quickly seek out deals for items
or services with 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.
 RELATION WITH E-COMMERCE
Fabmall.com, the pioneers of e-commerce in India have acquired US-based e-
commerce company Indiaplaza.com. The combined business will operate under a
single global brand Indiaplaza. This acquisition makes Indiaplaza the world's
largest India-centric e-commerce company in the world.
Fabmall.com is a leading brand in the Indian e-commerce industry with the largest
catalogue of over 3.5 million products available online. It is also the only e-
commerce company in India with in-house warehousing and delivery systems and
has end-to-end control over the entire ecosystem of e-commerce including web
technologies, merchandising, logistics and customer service.

It also manages the loyalty programs for leading brands in the FMCG, hospitality,
IT and airline industries apart from powering online shopping sites for leading
media companies.

Indiaplaza.com has been the leading US-based online shopping destination for
Indians and Indian products. Based out of Austin, Texas, Indiaplaza.com has a
dominating presence for Bollywood based entertainmentitems and is also the
preferred destination for NRIs in the USA to send gifts to India. It also has in-
house warehousing and delivery systems based in the USA.

The coming together of these two e-commerce companies into a single brand
Indiaplaza will redefine e-commerce for Indians globally.

Indiaplaza, with operations in Bangalore, Chennai and Austin is now the world's
largest India-centric e-commerce company with over one million online
transacting customers globally. It offers a catalogue of over 3.5 million items for
sale and also has in-house control of web technologies, warehousing and logistics;
supported by a 24-hour Customer Service Centre in Bangalore.

For customers, this translates into the largest online range and selection, robust
technology, reliable delivery systems in India and USA and outstanding customer
service. For existing Fabmall.com customers, there is no change and their user ids,
passwords, gift certificates, reward points and pre-paid accounts will continue to
work as before.

The operations at Indiaplaza are controlled by a professional management team