amount and quality of information available to consumers Introduction and seller companies. Information density in markets
As an interdisciplinary topic encompassing both business makes prices and costs more Transparent while reducing and technology, e-Business technologies have various information collection, storage, processing, and positive impacts on organizations and businesses, from communication costs while significantly increasing the business model development to supply chain. E-business currency, accuracy, and timeliness of the information. technologies transformed business operations by transforming organizational borders and carrying the Personalization/Customization: e-Business and transactions to web-based shared online platforms. e-Commerce technologies permit personalization: and Internet, WWW, cloud computing, inter-organizational targeting specific individuals and segments by adjustments.
software applications have occurred as main technologies Main Technological Concepts and Tools: Facilitators of that enabled e-Business. e-Business
In this chapter, the main technologies that enable and e-Business Technology provides professional services that embed e-Business applications will be presented and help the business take full advantage of Internet advances explained. Technology trends are also discussed and improve the business processes in a cost-effective followingly. Additionally, the infrastructural Frameworks manner (Chaffey, 2011). The features can be aligned with of E-business together with the architectural issues will be the main technological concepts as follows: elaborated. Technological Security Standards that are used Ubiquity: Internet, Mobile Internet, Web and telecom in e-Business are also included in the chapter. technologies
Technology Basics and Outlook of e-Commerce Global Reach: Internet and protocols, and e-Business Universal Standards: HTTP, FTP, TCP/IP, EDI In this context we will examine; features of e-Business and e-Commerce, main technological concepts and tools: Richness: Database, Analytics, e-Mailing, Web servers, facilitators of e-Business, critical enabler of e-Commerce: application server electronic data interchange (EDI) and technology trends in Interactivity: Architecture, Web Server, application e-Commerce titles. server, Web client E-business and e-Commerce have some significant Information Density: The Internet and the Web, cloud features which create advantages for consumers and computing, storage, Big data. sellers, and these features are enabled by e-Business and e-Commerce technologies): Personalization/Customization: AI
Ubiquity: Available just about everywhere, at all times The facilitator technologies of e-Business can be listed as making it possible to shop from your desktop, at home, at follows: work, or even from your car, using smartphones. It is a market space extended beyond traditional boundaries and 1. Internet 2. Analytics removed from a temporal and geographic location. This 3. Payment Gateways feature reduces transaction costs. 4. Cloud Computing Global Reach: With e-Business technology, commercial 5. Social Media transactions cross-cultural and national boundaries. Critical Enabler of e-Commerce: Electronic Data Universal Standards: There exist technical standards of Interchange (EDI) the Internet and, therefore, the technical standards for As a key application empowering e-Business (Gartner conducting e-Commerce are universal standards which Group, 2011), Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) is the reduce market entry costs for companies and search costs electronic transmission of the information and the for consumers. documents (such as invoices or purchase orders) between
Richness: Information richness, the complexity and computer systems in different organizations. It acts as content is improved by the development of the Web which information technology and an essential application of enabled to deliver rich messages to large numbers of business-to-business electronic commerce (Yunitarini and people. Santoso, 2018). Transaction processing or communication data for customers are organized in a standard and Interactivity: E-business technologies are interactive and machine-readable form. Then, in the supply chain or value allow two-way communication between the seller and chain, the transaction and communication data is consumer, and enabling the companies to engage a transferred to various correspondents in these formats consumer on a massive, global scale. through the Web. This web is a kind of network
Information Density: The Internet and the Web vastly established for business-to-business communication (Min, increased the information density—which is the total 2000).
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Chapter 2: Key Technologies for e-Business
Technology Trends in e-Commerce
New technologies on databases, data analytics, communication-messaging platforms enhanced client- server architecture enhance the e-Business and e-Commerce applications greatly. Technology trends shaping e-Commerce can be listed as (Hallman, 2020):
1. Mobile dominates online sales: a third of consumers’ decision to purchase a product is impacted by research conducted on a mobile device. However, just because websites are accessible from mobile devices, does not mean businesses are prepared to succeed at mobile commerce. 2. E-Wallet technology is a must: In addition to boosting sales and conversion rates for merchants, eWallet usage provides customers with ease of use and increased security. They no longer need to enter credit card information on websites or give their credit cards to cashiers; plus many eWallets offer or require dual authentication before use. 3. e-Commerce subscription services gain traction. 4. Customization makes products highly personal: Consumers increasingly expect customized products and, thanks to advances in digital and manufacturing technologies such as additive manufacturing and 3D printing, brands can enable them to personalize or customize products they want online. 5. Augmented and virtual reality is making online shopping interactive: Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) help eCommerce retailers overcome one of their biggest challenges – their customers cannot try on or experience products before buying them. With AR and VR, customers can virtually try on products, place furniture within rooms of their homes, and more. Augmented reality (AR) has begun to be accepted as an e-Commerce tool (such as eyeglasses and watches). AR provides effective communication benefits by generating greater novelty, immersion, enjoyment, and usefulness, resulting in positive attitudes toward medium and purchase intention, compared to the web-based product presentations (Yim et al., 2017). 6. Upselling and cross-selling fueled by personalized product recommendations: By personalizing product recommendations to customers’ tastes and interests already on your site, the likelihood of their making a purchase is significantly increased. 7. Customer experiences improve thanks to better CRM integration: o keep up, online retailers are implementing integrated e-Commerce CRM (customer relationship management) systems. In addition to resulting in a better customer experience, CRM eCommerce integration
provides a central location for customer data that can be used to make marketing more effective. Sales data can also be used for improved inventory planning and forecasting. Automated, synchronized data increases overall business efficiency by improving order fulfilment and timely communication. 8. Actionable content is driving business: Relevant and helpful content helps drive business by attracting potential shoppers, guiding them to purchasing opportunities, and boosting conversions. Several forms of content can be effectively mixed and matched. They include interactive, lifestyle storytelling, stance-taking, and email. 9. PWAs help shoppers quickly complete tasks: Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are websites accessed directly in a browser that provide the high-converting features of a native app. These apps are not downloaded from an app store platform. While websites are optimized for users to get informational content, PWAs are designed to help shoppers accomplish tasks quickly. They have fast and reliable features and functionalities that create a highly engaging shopping experience. 10. Social media is a driving force behind mobile sales: Platforms enabling e-Commerce stores to sell directly through their social pages are increasingly driving sales. 11. Cognitive supply chain management gains momentum: e-Commerce companies are increasingly seeking distribution and inventory management systems that are self-learning, predictive, adaptive, and intelligent, known as cognitive supply chains. They result in an improved, personalized customer service and decreased inventory. These systems can also help to mitigate risk, improve insight and performance, and increase transparency. 12. Video continues capturing consumer attention: When done right, product videos are educational, encourage consumers to make a purchase, popular with mobile users, and shared via social media. 13. Gamification is making online shopping more fun: Gamification injects fun into online shopping by motivating customers to behave in a certain manner in exchange for additional benefits. 14. Chatbots personalise e-Commerce: A chatbot is a computer program that simulates a human conversation by using artificial intelligence. It instantly communicates with customers and can resolve their challenges among multiple platforms 24/7. Chatbots use artificial intelligence to infer customers’ preferences and create a personalized online shopping experience.
15. Voice search is growing in popularity: Mobile experience and requested a significant improvement in users and owners of devices such as the Amazon mobile devices, resulting in a hugely competitive mobile Echo or similar technology are increasingly devices (smartphones pads, tablet PCs, netbooks, etc.) comfortable with speaking their queries. market.
Infrastructure and Architectural Issues in e-Business and e-Commerce
Infrastructural Framework of e-Business and e-Commerce
e-Business Infrastructure is identified in five layers which are (1) Services and applications layer (2) Systems software (operating systems, utility systems), (3) Network Layer, (4) Storage Layer and (5) Data Layer (Chaffey, 2011) which all must be managed effectively.
Architectural Issues in e-Business and e-Commerce
e-Commerce/e-Business architecture is a conceptual set of artefacts that help establish a clear principle guideline to support the business architecture vision (Lee, 2016).
Security Issues, Solutions and Standards in e-Business
In e-Business and e-Commerce, dealing and trading with multiple partners, businesses are faced with an increasing array of different data formats, communication needs, and process requirements. Therefore, security issues and challenges occur. For satisfying their partners’ needs, e-Businesses must respond to these needs, following the security standards and disciplines to gain and retain consumer trust and confidence (Al-Ladan, 2016).
The main attack types are tricking the Shopper, Snooping the Shopper’s Computer, Guessing Passwords, Server security, and server exploits. The most dangerous attack is the Denial of Service. “Denial of Service” or “DoS” describes the ultimate goal of a class of cyberattacks designed to render a service inaccessible (NCSC, 2020).
Mobile e-Commerce (m-Commerce) and Mobile e-Business
While electronic commerce (e-Commerce) continues to profoundly impact the global business environment, technologies and applications have focused more on mobile computing and the wireless Web, bringing a new set of issues specifically related to mobile e-Commerce (Tarasewich et al., 2002). Mobile e-Commerce focuses on enabling business transactions through wireless devices (Mueller-Veerse, 1999) with a wide range of interactive business processes that occur before and after actual sales transactions (Turban et al., 2002; Adam et al., 1998). Today, the borders and differences between e-Commerce and mobile commerce are blurred to omni-usage of mobile devices and PCs. The term is generally evident by the definition of the operating system that the client uses and the mobile application server, which provides the service.
Mobile e-Commerce applications that are downloadable through app stores and platforms are the client-side of mobile e-Commerce. Mobile apps fuelled up the customer