Ila Nivas
B.E. Comp Sc.
21 February, 2006
Ecommerce:
Security & Future Trends
Ecommerce is
conducted today by companies registering their products with e-commerce sites like e-bay or product sites (www.download.com) or by inhouse online sales & marketing. Some companies outsource e-commerce to other operators (B2B e-commerce), to reduce operating costs & to take their
business to the distant places. There are certainly many risks involved for both the business & the customer.
The business has to ensure the
security of the customer information and fight the competition for providing the service & maintain the product cost & quality. The business has to spend on deploying the most effective security measures at all times. The threats like spam, spyware, virus & hackers are the challenge. Its a vicious cycle, after every security risk solution, somebody somewhere invents or discovers a new loop hole. There are many originals & many more replicas of products & services in the market, something for every pocket. Some do big business & some just show in the market & close the shop. The customer is at the risk of being cheated, by the unauthorised use of private information (e-mail, bank/credit-card information, telemarketers, etc) and by the cost/quality of the product. Some new e-commerce users are apprehensive of fraud. The customer wants to see the product physically before purchasing. The search engines (google, yahoo, etc) provide the list of all possible options, the customer has the responsibility of making the right choice, to choose the product/service that satisfies the requirements.
For e-commerce to thrive, other than security, new methods and new businesses are required. One new method is as described by Wingham Rowan in his BBC report, i.e. GEMs (Guaranteed Electronic Markets). One centralized shop for everything that is secure, controls product cost & quality, reduces business cost of e-marketing, provides utmost customer satisfaction. This could be a private player or a government agency, in agreement with standards authority & financial agencies. The standards authority will be responsible for approving the cost & quality of the product/service before it is allowed to be sold at the GEM. The customer has to be a registered user of the GEM, to enhance customer data security, GEMs can provide kiosks or tie-up with the ISPs to allow access to the GEM.
More e-commerce revenue can be generated by providing better and new services. Here in India, I can call the grocery shop & ask for the items to be delivered at home. The vegetable shop owner maintains a mobile phone, fresh vegetables are delivered at home on call. The online grocery shop (with pickup or home delivery options) can save time for a garden walk, gym, movie, more time at work without worrying about home cores. Can IPV6 fill the fridge or Buy Detergent. The consumer wants instant service, its faster to pickup an article from the nearby store. How about placing an order just before leaving the office or going to a club & pickup the bag on the way or get it delivered at home. Payment is done online when order was placed - the customer must trust the provider for the best. More employment - home delivery person, store employs to take the online orders & fill the bag, e-education for consumers & employees.
Works Cited
Rowan, Wingham. "Future Visions: A new way for e-commerce." 16 December, 1998. BBC News 13 February, 2006.