Introduction
E-commerce has been accessible ever since the 1990s. However, it has only received major recognition from both customers and entrepreneurs in the past few years. For both consumers and businesses, e-commerce proves to be more convenient in terms of time and cost. Due to its healthy growth rate, many local and international businesses are adapting to the modern method of conducting business, which employs the tenets of e-commerce. The aim of this paper is to conduct an in-depth analysis of the perspective and perception of Saudi Arabian women on online shopping. The study will make use of both qualitative and quantitative research methods to gain deeper insight and a greater understanding of the thoughts and reactions of Saudi women as regards online shopping. Through the methods of focus groups, in-depth interviews, and surveys, the study aims at examining the level of awareness, level of trust in terms of online payment, and most importantly the level of interest among Saudi women.
Literature Review
A review of the existing body of knowledge reveals that e-commerce is influencing the lives of Saudi residents positively. A study conducted by Al-Maghrebi proved that women are interested in the new technologies related to online shopping because of their convenience and the satisfaction that they bring (30). Alotaibi supported the views of other scholars by claiming that the introduction of the internet is attributed to the growth of online shopping in the country (45). Online shopping gives women a new experience in process of product ordering, viewing, and delivering. He suggested that electronic commerce (e-Commerce) has an emerging latent in Saudi Arabia owing to extensive utilization of the internet and the development of information knowledge and communication. The focus of the canvasser was to review the excellence of e-commerce websites in Saudi Arabia with the help of an anticipated costing tool. To realize this aspiration, the utilization of a number of e-commerce websites was critical. Based on this, these websites were chosen for assessment and were categorized into three groups, including domestic, local, and global class. Owing to the existence of different sites, the researcher examined the growth and expansion of the e-commerce segment in the nation. On their part, Sait, Al-Tawil, and Ali Hussain evaluated the role of the internet in streamlining the e-commerce business (58).
Among one of the most extensive effects of the internet, particularly from the viewpoint of industry and market representations, the scholars observed that e-commerce is the overriding concept. In the present-day society, this previous ‘experimental’ trade model has turned out to be a typical podium for reorganizing business courses and augmenting merchandise outreach. They posit that this is authenticated by the noteworthy accent by a number of countries in mounting vigorous e-commerce architectures customized to ensemble economical-social structures. A remarkable case study in this point of view is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, particularly given its focus on restricted, local, and spiritual civilization. Currently, with an incredible developmental rate in internet connectivity, the Kingdom is aggressively shifting from traditional systems towards extensive espousal of e-commerce structures. In 2001, a two-year plan was instigated to conduct a critical review on the present influence of the internet on societal, educational, and business structures in the Kingdom. On the same note, Alghamdi focused on exploring the influence of e-commerce on retail trade in the country (90). He was of the view that even though the nation has the leading and the best ever-emerging information and communication technologies segment in the Middle East, the increase in e-commerce actions has not progressed at a proportionate speed.
Overall, Saudi merchants have not maintained pace with the international development of online transactions. The writer conducted research to classify and investigate some of the major problems that influence Saudi merchants in making up their minds on whether to approve online channels. Finally, Al-Hudhaif and Alkubeyyer talked about some of the factors that force Saudi women to adopt new shopping technologies (124). The scholars noted further that some economic segments in Saudi Arabia are sluggish in espousing e-commerce technologies for administering their business connections. This is because of the domestic set of issues that are correlated to organizations or exterior set of problems, which are associated with the infrastructure and legislative support. They posit further that a number of studies related to this topic talk about either interior factors or exterior issues, but not both. A number of articles exploring issues related to e-commerce espousal factors in emerging financial systems center on the ecological, infrastructural, and legislative areas only and ignore the managerial factors whilst the focus of the topic studied and investigated on industrialized financial systems are managerial meaning they explore SMEs and large ventures. In other words, studies conducted in the third world do not focus on strengthening e-commerce, but instead, such researches aim at portraying the third world as the production countries while developed countries are the manufacturing states. Therefore, the study of e-commerce and its application in business is not well developed as compared to the utilization of e-commerce services in the west. With e-commerce, Saudi Arabia is in a position to achieve excellent economic ambitions, but the problem lies with the economic structures since they do not support the new system of shopping.
Methodology
There would be two key methods used to gather information in the study. The first one would be through a questionnaire, which will be physically delivered to participants. The questionnaire will seek to capture various attitudes of women regarding their opinions on online shopping. The second source of information used for the research will be literature on various aspects of e-commerce in general and the operational activities that take place in e-marketing. Open-ended questions will be used because they give respondents more time to figure out their opinions, which would make them volunteer more information related to feelings, outlooks, and comprehension of the subject. This would allow the researcher to understand the position of respondents as regards feelings. Open-ended questions minimize some errors that could have been created in the course of research. Respondents rarely forget answers if given an opportunity to respond freely. Furthermore, respondents cannot ignore some questions because they must go through all of them. Open-ended questions generate data that can be used in data analysis by other researchers. In other words, they allow secondary data analysis. On the other hand, closed-ended questions are analyzed easily. That is why they were used in this study. Each response can be coded for statistical interpretation. Nonetheless, closed-ended questions are compatible with the computer analysis package (Delving 24).
Qualitative methods explain why a given pattern of events has taken place. On the other hand, quantitative methods explain the what and when of phenomena. Ethnographic research and phenomenology as approaches to qualitative research will be appropriate in this study.
Conclusion
Based on the literature review and primary data obtained through questionnaires, it is factual that the future of retail trade is e-commerce whereby traders are able to engage in business without necessarily meeting the clients and customers. The review of data reveals that small-scale traders have the chance of expanding their business if they adopt the tenets of e-commerce in the country.
Works Cited
Alghamdi, Rayed. “Factors Influencing E-Commerce Adoption by Retailers in Saudi Arabia: A Quantitative Analysis.” International journal of electronic commerce studies, 3.1 (2012): 83-100.Print.
Al-Hudhaif, Suleiman, and Alkubeyyer, Abdullah. “E-Commerce Adoption Factors in Saudi Arabia.” International Journal of Business & Management, 6.9 (2011): 122-133.Print.
Al-maghrabi, Dennis. “Driving online shopping: Spending and behavioral differences among women in Saudi Arabia.” International Journal of Business Science & Applied Management, 5. (2010): 30-47. Print.
Alotaibi, Mutlaq. “E-Commerce Adoption in Saudi Arabia: an Assessment of International, Regional and Domestic Web Presence.” Internal journal of Information Technology and Computer Science, 2.1 (2013): 42-56. Print.
Delving, Arnold. Research methods: planning, conducting and presenting research. Belmont: Wadsworth, 2006. Print.
Sait, Sadiq, Al-Tawil, Khalid, and Hussain, Syed. “E-Commerce in Saudi Arabia: adoption and perspectives.” Australasian Journal of Information Systems, 12.1 (2004): 54-74. Print.