Introduction
The present world is experiencing a radical change in purchasing and selling goods and services. Conventionally, purchases and sales are taken place between buyer and seller who are physically present at the time of transaction. But, the invention of the World Wide Web and the internet created a new platform for business transactions. And today, the whole world is enchanted by the phenomenon of e-commerce, which is an offering of the internet. E-commerce simply is the purchase and sale of goods and services over the internet. It enables the customers and suppliers to exchange products electronically without the barriers of time and distance. Indeed, some auxiliary services such as product delivery and payment must accompany the product order over the internet. The internet shops, called the e-merchants have expanded rapidly over the past years and are expected to continue even at a fast rate. The formalities/processes that one follows to purchase products from a retailer over the internet are many and a little bit cumbersome.
Formalities/Processes of buying from an E-Merchant
The formalities/processes that one must follow to purchase an item online from a retailer are lengthy. These are certainly to protect the interest of both seller and buyer since the chances of fraud are high over the internet. Given below is the list of steps of purchase:
Create an account with the Retailer: There is nothing complicated in creating a personal account with the retailer from whom one would like to purchase. As soon as one enters his/her email and password (for the account with the retailer), a new account gets opened.
Placing the order: The item that one needs to buy must be selected from the retailer’s shelf and it requires a careful search. All retailers provide some useful tools for easy search of desired items and the customer can save a lot of unwanted searching time.
Adding the item(s) to the shopping cart: Once the item is found, it needs to be added to his/her shopping cart, wherein all the products are accumulated to know how many items have been purchased so far. At any moment checking facility is available and the customer can add to or remove unwanted items from the cart. (Placing your first order, 2008).
Choose a buying format: There are numerous buying formats available on the internet to satisfy all kinds of buyers. Some buying format involves auction-based buying whereby the customer can bid a price which he/she is ready to pay for the item. If the price quoted is the maximum, the retailer sells the item immediately. Another option is the fixed price format. Here, the buyer can choose an item based on its known price. Another type of buying option is the advertisement format where the buyer is connected with other sellers. (Payment Methods, 2008).
Select a Payment Method: Every seller is unique and accepts different methods acceptable to them. The point to be noticed before selecting a payment mode is that it must be acceptable to the seller and convenient to the buyer. Normally, the following payment methods are acceptable to most sellers.
- Paisa Pay Online Bank Transfer
- Paisa Pay Credit Card
- Demand Drafts
- Cash On Delivery
- Buyer Pays and Picks Up
- Cheques
Nowadays with the help of online traders and buyers, online financial service companies have been emerged such as Pay pal Inc. However, one must be very vigilant about the authenticity of such service companies. (Payment Methods, 2008).
Provide your Payment Information: Once the payment method is selected, provide the payment information to the supplier to make the payment electronically after delivery of items. (Placing your first order, 2008).
Enter the Shipping Address: The address to which the buyer would like to receive his/her delivery is given to the retailer at this stage. Make sure that the correct address is given to avoid a delay in delivery.
Choose a shipping method: The way in which the bought articles get delivered to the buyer is also important because it decides the speed, time, and cost of delivery. It is always advisable to choose a method that gives maximum offers in shipping if the bulk purchase is made. Speed, time, and cost are the factors that decide the method of shipping. (Placing your first order, 2008).
Review and Submission of Order: Make a check upon the accuracy of the information provided with regard to the items on the cart, payment, shipping address, etc. After making sure that the order is error-free, the buyer can submit the order. When the order is placed, an automatic e-mail will be sent to the buyer’s email inbox for confirmation.
Check the order status: There is also a facility to further modify the order or any other information given to the retailer before the items are ready for the shipping process. (Placing your first order, 2008).
References
Placing your first order. (2008). Web.
Payment methods. (2008). Web.