Internet shopping – the case of Egypt-
Abstract
A report released lately has found that 33 percent of Egyptian internet users shop online, which means that 67% of the online population have never made a purchase over the internet. While, In South Korea, for instance, 99 percent of those with internet access have used it to shop, closely followed by the UK, Germany and Japan all on 97 percent. The US came in eighth with 94 percent. In Egypt 49 percent of those surveyed said they had bought books online in the past three months (compared to 41 percent globally), 35 percent had purchased music, videos and/or DVDs (compared to 24% globally), and 22 percent had bought clothes, accessories, and/or shoes (compared to 36 percent globally).this research investigates the obstacles that serve as impediments to online shopping from Egyptian internet users point of view.
Background
The internet usage is growing rapidly all over the globe. The estimated growth rate in internet usage world wide is about 189% from year 2000-2005. And the world wide internet users in 2006 were roughly 1043 million users. Consumers use the internet for many different reasons ranging from only gathering information to purchasing products.
Online shopping is the process consumers go through to purchase products or services over the Internet. An online shop, e-shop, e-store, Internet shop, web shop, 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.
Today the internet has become a very significant strategic tool in competitive business environment. It has developed into a dynamic virtual medium for trading information, services and products. The phenomenal growth and popularity of the internet have attracted consumers and businesses to get the advantages brought on by the new technology. The online businesses enabled reducing overheads and personal costs and to get a much closer access to target...