Week 6

Question 1

a) What experiences have you had with shopping online?

    I do have experiences of several times buying things online. Most of them are clothes  and books because they are usually cheaper online than in the actual store. I got very confused first time transfering money online and sometimes the products that I bought turn out to be not very good.

b) Describe a good experience.

Once I bought wholesale from a Korean online clothesing website and sold retail though my own little shop online. I purchase lots of clothes as the price were low. As it's a Korean online store accessing business from many other countries, the products are set with American dollars, I had to transfer the money though Paypal. That's the first time I get to know Paypal.

c) What did you like about the online store you used?

 For example , Taobao is a chinese large-scale online shopping website as same as Ebay. It's easy for to find what I need and compare the same products from different stores. And the best things is that sometimes I can find things that I can't get in the real store.

d) Describe a bad experience.

 Like I purchase something online for the first time. It's really confused that the website made me go though complicated processes doing banking transaction.

e) What problems did you have with the online store?

Sometimes the products that they send are not exactly the same as they were shown in the online store and you don't know if you can trust the seller especially when you buy things that aren't real such as things in the virtual games. I bought  virtual money several and several equipments for the game before and I got worried everytime.

f) What features make an online store more appealing?

 Cheaper, easier and faster.
24/7  and in the world-wide

g) What features make an online store less appealing?

Complicated banking transcation and hard to rely.

h) Should we expect to see the prices of goods and services rise or fall due to the migration of consumers online?

I thinks so. Maybe in the futrue we are expect to see the prices of good change to the migration of consumers online.

Question 2

a) The dispersion of prices (that is, the spread between the lowest and highest price for a particular product) will narrow.

I don't agree with it.
The dispersion of prices in e-business markets is substancial and no narrower than in the convercial markets.

b) The importance of brand names will decrease.

I do not agree with it.

As long as the different brands keep update their teconology and skills, there will be differences of products such as different quality and appearances  between different brands. Brand names do matters importantly.

c) Price competition will make all products cheaper.

I do't think so.
There're people willing to pay more to get the best products. Price competition may make some products cheaper but not all.

d) Digital markets will become dominated by a handful of mega-sites, like Amazon.com.

In my opion, not the whole digital markets will become dominated by website like Amazon.com.
Those small-scale retail stores may be dominated but not those standard and reputable brands that have individual brand website which sell their products derictly to the customers.

e) How do you think the balance of power between buyer’s and seller’s will change?

f) Prices are clustered online.

Yes, it is.
There have been a price competition that most seller who are selling similar products want to get more consumers to pruchase their products. The prices are clustered.

g) Online prices are elastic. ( i.e. immune to change up and down with demand)

I don't agree with it.
Online prices are easily to change up and down with demand of consumers.

h) Online prices are generally transparent (the extent to which prices for a given product or service are known by buyers in the marketplace.).

I agree with that online prices are geneally transparent.

Question 3

a) What types of m-commerce services does your cell phone provider offer?
Mobile bill payment

Contants

Banking and financial services
Wireless advertising
Location-based services
Games and entertainment

b) Which of these services do you use?

 All of them

c) What types of transactions do you perform through your cell phone or other wireless device?

 Though my cell phone.

It makes me feel more safe and comfortable.

d) What types of transactions would you like to perform, but are currently unable to?
Currency of different countries can be transfered easily is what I hope.

e) What is your opinion of wireless advertising/mobile marketing?

It's functional.

Wireless advertising/mobile marketing makes it convenient for people to get information anytime and anywhere.