Customer profiling using a service-orientated architecture
- Authors: Ntawanga, Felix
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Consumer profiling -- South Africa , Consumer behavior -- South Africa , Service-oriented architecture (Computer science) , Electronic commerce -- South Africa -- Computer programs
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:10464 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1146 , Consumer profiling -- South Africa , Consumer behavior -- South Africa , Service-oriented architecture (Computer science) , Electronic commerce -- South Africa -- Computer programs
- Description: Customer profiling has recently gained much recognition in the e-commerce domain because of the benefits it is capable of bringing to online business. Customer profiling has been implemented in various systems development approaches such as in a client-server environment. Recently there has been an increase in the number of organisations adopting and implementing e-commerce systems using service-oriented architecture (SOA) principles. This research set out to determine how a customer profile can be implemented using open source SOA implementation tools, and how SOA-based customer profiles can be utilised to provide appropriate personalisation in an SOA environment. The research further endeavoured to complete a comparative study on customer profile implementation in two different architectures, namely SOA and client-server. An extensive literature review was conducted on SOA, customer profiling and e-commerce systems development. SOA enabling technologies, such as, web services, enterprise service bus (ESB) and open source Sun Java SOA implementation tools, for example, Open ESB, GlassFish application server and Netbeans IDE were analysed. A Java web services-based customer profiling system was prototyped following SOA design principles. An end-user evaluation survey was conducted using eye tracking with a sample of 30 participants. The evaluation was done on two e-commerce systems with the same interface but running on two different customer profile back-ends, SOA and client-server. The results show that participants did not experience significant difference between the two systems, however, eye tracking results showed a significant difference between the two systems. The research concluded that customer profiling using SOA offers more benefits than implementations using other architectures such as client-server. SOA component-based development proved to be easier to manage, develop, integrate and improves interoperability between different technologies. The research brought together necessary techniques and technologies that organisations can use to implement SOA. Using SOA, organisations can integrate and utilise different technologies seamlessly to achieve business goals.
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- Date Issued: 2010
Demographical diversity influence on online shopping orientation and propensity to buy online
- Authors: Tapson, Megan Jacqueline
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Teleshopping -- South Africa , Electronic commerce -- South Africa , Consumer behavior -- South Africa -- Cross-cultural studies , Ethnicity -- South Africa , Ethnic attitudes -- South Africa , Consumer behavior -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:1168 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002784 , Teleshopping -- South Africa , Electronic commerce -- South Africa , Consumer behavior -- South Africa -- Cross-cultural studies , Ethnicity -- South Africa , Ethnic attitudes -- South Africa , Consumer behavior -- South Africa
- Description: Online shopping is a growing phenomenon all over the world, and it has thus had an influence on the shopping process for many consumers (Brengman et al., 2005:79; Brown et al., 2003:1667; Kau et al., 2003:139). Consumers are now choosing to shop online due to changes in their lifestyles and demographic diversity (Kau et al., 2003:139). The purpose of this research was to examine the extent to which demographic diversity influenced online shopping orientation and propensity to buy online. The researcher first conducted an in-depth theoretical study of previous research into demographic diversity, online shopping orientation and propensity to buy online. Next, the researcher conducted an empirical survey questionnaire, in order to assess the opinions of students at the three selected Eastern Cape universities. Phinney's (1992:156) multi-group ethnic identity measure was administered in order to identify how respondents feel about their ethnicity and/or how they react to their own ethnic group. Kau et al.,'s (2003) online shopping orientation measure was used to help identify six relevant online shopping factors. The six online shopping factors where then used to describe six online shopping orientation types. The main findings of this research conducted at three Universities in the Eastern Cape can be summarised as follows: Ethnic Identity Profile: - Within this research it was found that respondents at all three universities in general had a strong ethnic identity to their specified ethnic group, according to the two ethnic identity factors namely; commitment and exploration. Online Shopping Orientation Profile: - Within this research it was found that the respondents at all three universities in general could be categorised in one of six online shopping orientation types according to six online shopping factors. The extent to which demographic diversity influences types of online shopping orientation: - From the research hypotheses it was concluded that a relationship exists between demographic diversity and types of online shopping orientations, whereby the gender, race and ethnicity of respondent is likely to influence the way consumers shop online, namely the consumers‟ online shopping orientation. The extent to which demographic diversity influences propensity to buy online: - From the research hypotheses it was concluded that a relationship exists between demographic diversity and propensity to buy online, whereby the gender of respondents is likely to influence whether consumers buy online in the future. - From the research hypotheses it was concluded that no relationship exists between demographic diversity and propensity to buy online, whereby the race and ethnicity of respondents is not likely to influence whether consumers buy online in the future. The extent to which types of online shopping orientation influence propensity to buy online: - The findings suggest that different online shopping orientations have different propensities to buy online in the future. Hence, marketers should be aware of the online shopping orientations more likely to buy online in the future and focus their marketing programs on them. They should also try new ways to attract the online shopping orientations that may not buy online, in the hopes of changing their opinions and perceptions of the Internet and online shopping. South Africa, in particular, consists of multi-racial and diverse ethnic origins, which has resulted in a demographically diverse South African nation. Therefore, marketers need to develop a better understanding of consumers‟ online shopping orientation (Donthu and Garcia, 1999:57; Jayawardhena and Foley, 2000:19; Kau et al., 2003:140). Understanding consumers' online shopping orientation will assist marketers in being able to market to specific consumers and meet the needs of consumers effectively (Kau et al., 2003:140). Since demographic diversity influences the online shopping orientations of consumers, major opportunities for marketers will be provided by accommodating for a demographically diverse South African nation.
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- Date Issued: 2010