 Introduction

Panda manages and operates a chain of more than 400 supermarkets, hypermarkets and
myPanda markets within Saudi Arabia. Has already begun to implement its regional and
international expansion plan. Panda has an application for mobile phones containing
weekly offers, branch sites and notes to record purchases. But the program lacks an
online purchase service. In this project we will try to add the online purchasing service
using a special hardware and software and showing the benefit and risks of adapting that
service.

 Online purchasing service

is a form of electronic commerce which allows consumers to directly
buy goods or services from a seller over the Internet using a web browser.

 Benefits of online purchasing service

Online shopping offers many benefits to customers:

Knowing all the details about the products: is one of the main benefits of online
shopping. It is possible to see detailed and complete information about the products
offered for sale on websites, such as prices, specifications, ingredients, and other details.
This helps the consumer to choose the right product for him.
Understanding the opinions of others: One of the important benefits of online shopping
is that it helps customers to choose the products they are considering, by recognizing and
evaluating others' opinions, and helping customers learn more about the nature of
products.
Online shopping saves time and effort: One of the most important benefits of online
shopping is that it saves much of the time spent searching for products in the regular
market, resulting in less effort on the part of consumers during the purchase process,
because online shopping It provides time for the shopper as he travels the traditional
market to see dozens of shops looking for something that may be difficult to find easily,
compared to e-shops on the Internet that contribute to saving it in a few minutes.
Providing products at low prices: is one of the competitive advantages of traditional
markets, e-markets, and online stores. It seeks to deliver products at the lowest possible
prices so that it can attract more customers to deal with them. Customers, most
importantly connecting products that have been purchased to their homes.
Also, online shopping offers many benefits to Panda company:

Increase the profit: Panda company will get more customers rather than the regular
customers.
Strengthen the loyalty with the customer: Because Panda will save time and effort to
the customer.
Competitive advantage: Panda will have the competitive advantage because not many
supermarkets have online purchasing service.
More stockholders will be interest in your business: this benefit will help Panda
company to attract more investors.

 Online Purchase Requirement (Hardware & Software)

Online shopping depends on a range of important requirements:

A computer or a mobile phone: are the two tools that help you find the products you
want online, and then start preparing your purchase form for a predefined time period.
Internet connection: One of the essential requirements that must be provided for
successful online shopping. Be sure to provide fast and lasting connection to the Internet
before you begin any shopping step, which helps you successfully complete your
shopping.
Payment option: The method used to pay for the goods obtained from the Internet, and
includes one of the following methods:
1. Bank Card: An electronic card that is associated with the buyer's bank account. He
must provide the website with all the required details about the card in order to deduct
the required cost of the purchase.
2. Payment upon receipt: It is a modern means of payment, which depends on building
mutual trust between the buyer and the trader. After completing all the steps related to
the purchase, the goods are delivered to the customer, which is paid when received by
the person responsible for delivering the store's requests. customers.

Using these requirements, Panda will be able to enable online purchasing service.
 Challenges and risks
Most of the barriers to online purchasing service are ethical, on the one hand, and privacy
on the other. There is always concern about the degree of security that an individual will
gain from the use of these applications and the credibility of the suppliers.

The weakness of online purchasing service in developing countries is due to several

reasons, including:

1. Low per capita income

2. Lack of awareness of the potential of information technology and e-commerce, and
the lack of a culture of enterprises open to change and transparency
3. Insufficient wireless infrastructure and access to the Internet or high cost of Internet
access
4. Lack of appropriate legal and regulatory frameworks
5. Do not use local language and content
6. Lack of individual initiative
7. Lack of payment systems that in turn could support business transactions conducted
on the Internet
8. The cultural resistance of e-commerce on the Internet

 References
1. "The Alibaba phenomenon". The Economics. March 23, 2013.
2. Chizoba Morah, "Shopping Online: Convenience, Bargains And A Few Scams"،
Investopedia, Retrieved 20-11-2016.
3. "GLOBAL ONLINE SHOPPING REPORT", nielsen,29-6-2010، Retrieved 20-11-
2016.
4. "Shopping online", BBC, Retrieved 20-11-2016.
5. Robert Siciliano (18-10-2016), "Keep Your Identity Safe When Shopping Online"،
the balance, Retrieved 20-11-2016.

6. Turban, E. (2015). Electronic commerce: a managerial and social networks

perspective. Cham: Springer.