critical discourse ba hons graphic design, southampton institute, 1999 critical discourse - conclusion

And so to conclude this investigation it appears that there are many more advantages than disadvantages for a business to go online and if all the influential factors that have been discussed in the previous chapters are taken into consideration, then this could well be the case.

"There are many sites selling successfully of the Web, but they have not followed any magical formula, just a simple set of common sense rules"20

So why is it, that up until now, online shopping has not been as popular nor as successful as had been hoped? At present, business to business commerce is where the big money lies and consumer shopping has fallen short due to many contributory factors. As discovered by both primary and secondary means, the most influential of these is security issues. When these issued are resolved and the concept of parting with e-cash from your e-wallet is perceived to be as safe as any other, then that is when the business of e-commerce will begin to grow. The main aim has to be to provide reassurance to the consumer and it can be argued that when enough people are willing and able to use the Internet for buying and selling.

"it will trigger a chain reaction of supply and demand - an explosion both in the numbers of people buying over the Net and in the numbers of companies selling to them."21

But since shopping isn't just for designers, it could be said that the appearance of a web site is not so important and doesn't always matter, but does it? The investigations in this Critical Discourse have found that the design and structure of a site can also make a huge difference to how successful it is, even though the users don't always realise that that is also influencing them. The design features such as graphics and scripts can make a huge difference to how simple or complex a site is to use and a well designed site can make a good impression on people. First impressions can do a lot to make or break a company's reputation and can greatly influence their sales figures.

It has also been found that the approach of a site is an influential factor, in exactly the same way as any other form of media. If a site is appealing to the consumer they are far more likely to use it than to use a boring or inappropriate site, even if both sites contain exactly the same information. Although this being the case, the content is at least as important as the appearance. The very nature of a Web site means that much more information can be available to the consumer than in, for example, a 30 second TV advertisement. This has to be taken advantage of.

The Internet, as we know it today, has been around for a mere 4 years and since many people are still not computer literate it is unsurprising that so many are unwilling to trust such a medium. In generations to come when everybody has grown up with computers, then maybe it will become more widely acceptable.

As for electronic supermarkets such as www.sainsburys.co.uk and www.putney.net, this investigation has shown that food is not the ideal product for Internet commerce so far, but that the additional features that a Web site brings to a company, not only for advertising and promotion, but also by simply having an Internet presence, definitely can be of benefit. Cyber-supermarkets today, still have the opportunity to use the facility as an alternative to consumers. They can still be of huge benefit to many, such as, for example, the homebound or the disabled reducing their need to rely on others.
And the fact that small businesses can compete on the same level as large corporations also fares well with the likes of Putney Food Co-op, just one incentive for the budding entrepreneur with great opportunities for future generations.

Although the questionnaire attracted only a tiny proportion of the online population, the opinions of real customers and potential customers helped to verify these findings and illustrate the general publics' view compared with that of the 'professionals.' Many surveys on this subject have, and will continue to be, undertaken, and with such a large and anonymous audience they are the ideal method to achieve the information necessary to keep on improving and reinventing the services available.

So as an essentially visual medium, the Internet provides an excellent alternative for advertising strategies and it holds many advantages for both large and small businesses. But in saying this it should definitely be considered, at least for now, as a supplement to current forms of advertising and promotion and business, not a replacement. To take advantage of it is a statement of forward thinking and modernism, getting the best of both worlds by targeting both online users and those that aren't connected.

The future will no doubt hold many advancements and technological changes that will revolutionise the way we operate and heading into the millennium we have seen only the beginning of the digital age..

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20 Bowen, D. Buying Online: Business needs a cautious approach (781) The Independent (29 Sep 1998)

21 Hutchinson, J. Special Report: Electronic Business: Net retailing: still seeking tomorrow's world (884) The Daily Telegraph (8 Sep 1998)