First of all find out how the service works – describe the system, the target audience, usage figures, and non-internet alternatives. Give examples – compare the same service supplied by different providers. Explain all the aspects of the service that are offered e. g. online banking don’t just cover current account information. Profits? Then find people who have used the service – regularly, intermittently, once and never again, not at all. You might want to use e-mail interviews or discussion groups.

Using five online services I am going to describe the system, find the target audience for the specific service, give usage figures and non-internet alternatives. I will compare the same service supplied by different providers. I will also explain all the aspects of the service that are offered. I will then find people who have used the service regularly, intermittently, once and never again or not at all. I will finally find out from these users what the benefits and drawbacks are of the service and also any improvements they would like to see take place.

The five online services I will look at are; online shopping, online bidding/ auctioning, online banking, online rentals and online reservations. Online Shopping – I have decided to use Tesco as an example of shopping online. Tesco is one of many shops you can buy online from. Tesco offers the service for you to be able to buy anything you can find in Tesco’s store to be ordered online to your home. You do this by accessing the internet and ordering anything you might need direct to your home, you can also view pictures of products.

You pay for your good by credit cards. This is convenient as your orders are delivered to your home so you can do your shopping from the comfort of your own home. Online shopping is aimed at disabled people and people who may not have car. This makes life easier for these people as disabled people may find it difficult to get around and if you do not have access to a car you can use the internet instead of having to use public transport or having to walk.

The non internet alternative is to go to the store itself. This service not only saves time having to walk around huge stores like Tesco’s trying to find your essential needs but also saves energy as you are choosing your products sitting at a computer. Also it is not a disadvantage as you can find the same range products online as you can find in stores. A disadvantage of shopping online is that you cannot find reduced items. The cost of having the internet is another disadvantage.

Also credit card connections are not always safe and credit card fraud is a possibility. The target audience for Tesco are; women and men aged 30 and up, although mainly women, with children that work full time as they will not find time to go to the store. The figures, which cover 53 weeks to February 28, include like-for-like sales growth of 6. 7% in the UK – a performance described by Tesco as one of its strongest in recent times.