Online Shopping

To: Instructor
From: Win PhyuDate: January 8, 2018
Work Plan Memo
Statement of the problem
Since the invention of the internet, people have reduced their meeting, what traditionally required assembly gets done through the internet. Shopping is no exception as many people have resorted to doing their shopping online. Stores like Amazon and Alibaba have made fortunes as online marketplaces. Like traditional physical shopping, it is worth understanding what motivates online shoppers. With each passing day, society tends to prefer online shopping over conventional shopping. Today, the internet of things (IoT) makes online shopping a daily exercise. For example, Amazon’s Alexa makes online shopping an exciting activity (Smith a). Apart from the ease associated with online shopping, many unexplored reasons have made a majority of shoppers to adopt the shopping mode; those factors are worth exploring. Online shopping is the future of E-business no matter where in the world.Analysis of the audience
Online shopping is not a preserve of a certain age of persons. However, those beyond the age of 65 are less likely to shop online when compared to their juniors (Smith). Having that in mind, the information that would exist as a consequence of conducting the proposed research would be fit for all ages. When referring to all ages, this includes people seeking more information on online shopping, future researchers, and consumers in general. With an objective of contributing to the existing literature on online shopping, the research paper would prove helpful in many ways to the outlined categories of audience.

A statement of the purpose of the report
Conducting a study on online shopping would help shed light on who shops online, the age of the shoppers, what motivates the shoppers, what reasons make one store preferred over the other, and chances of shopping online again after a successful or flopped order. In a nutshell, the researcher seeks to contribute to the library of existing literature on online shopping. Once literature gets assembled in a way that it adds on to what past researchers have come up with on the realm of online shopping, the users of the content cannot possibly get predicted as at now. In addition to the mentioned categories of audience above, the information gathered may help one who wishes to venture into the trade of setting up online retail stores. Description of research methodology
In the study of online shopping, both primary and secondary would get considered to generate a well thought out research paper. Secondary data would be in the form business reports, newspapers, and review of existing literature. However, secondary data may have its limitations as it tends to project the biases of its composer. To avoid passing on a researcher’s prejudices on a topic as gospel truth to future generations, one needs to conduct primary data search. Primary data sources provide firsthand evidence to the researcher. Origins of primary data include interviews, surveys, and statistical data among many other ways.
Background information necessary for the audience
Online shopping is relatively a new phenomenon that emerged as a result of the internet. Online shopping gets categorized as e-business where the transactions take place electronically. There are many startup online retail stores; this signifies the nature of online shopping as being new. Like any other business, startups exist in new markets that have not taken shape. Many entrepreneurs have resorted to starting online stores due to the affordable startup capital when compared to setting up a physical shop. Some of the online stores like eBay, Amazon, and Alibaba among many others; they have become points of reference for many startups. With the emergence of several online startups, online shopping is the next shopping mode in the world. When the time comes when online shopping gets fully adopted by people, it should not occur as a surprise, literature would explain any questions that may arise. As opposed to traditional shopping, there is limited literature on the realm of online shopping (Nagra 1). This study undertakes to contribute to the existing research on the subject of e-commerce.Review of planned areas of research
The research would focus on shopper characteristics, motivations, and their age. It is of utmost importance to understand the traits of online shoppers. Successful business person appeals to the likes of shoppers to make sales; this only happens after establishing the traits of shoppers. The motivation to shop online and the age of the shoppers are worth considering. Entrepreneurs buy stock as per the demands of the targeted customers; the requirements of a 50-year-old are never the same as those of a young adult (Bashir 2). Also, motivators for shopping for the different ages do vary.A schedule of when each task will be accomplished
The study would require coming up with research objective and questions. It is from the research questions and goals that a research paper acquires form. From the research objectives and questions, a researcher determines what kinds of secondary and primary data would help further the aim of the article. For example, when developing a questionnaire any of the research questions need to get answered. Once research questions and objectives get outlined, collection data commences, lastly, the paper is developed using the gathered data.
Works Cited
Bashir, Rizwana, Irsa Mehboob, and Waqas Khaliq Bhatti. “Effects of Online Shopping Trends on Consumer-Buying Behavior: An Empirical Study of Pakistan.”
Nagra, Gagandeep, and R. Gopal. “A study of Factors Affecting Online Shopping Behavior of Consumers.” International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications 3.6 (2013): 1-4.
Smith, Cooper. “Gen X and Baby Boomers Present a Huge Opportunity for Online Retailers.” Business Insider, 2015, http://www.businessinsider.com/the-age-demographics-of-who-shops-online-and-on-mobile-2015-4?IR=T.
Smith, Cooper (a). “The Surprising Facts about who Shops Online and on Mobile.” Business Insider, 2015, http://www.businessinsider.com/the-surprising-demographics-of-who-shops-online-and-on-mobile-2014-6?IR=T.