Lesson 1

To understand the emerging value propositions of e-Business and bring them to market, you must remain aware of the shifts occuring in culture and technology. The greatest cultural change driving e-Business is the emergence of consumerism, the phenomenon of shifting the power from the producer to the consumer.
Today's consumer is knowledgeable, engaged, demanding, and entitled.From a technological perspective, the constant stream of new technologies is driving tremendous change in the way products are defined, purchased, leased, or otherwise transferred from creator to user. In this module, you will learn about the drivers that an architect considers in an e-Business engagement.

In the domain of economics, consumerism refers to economic policies placing emphasis on consumption. In an abstract sense, it is the consideration that the free choice of consumers should strongly orient the choice of what is produced, and therefore orient the economic organization of a society. This vote is "one dollar, one voice", which may or may not reflect the contribution of people to society. Since the end of the twentieth century, the development of consumerism as a way of life across all domains has remade economics and culture. In the almost complete absence of other sustained macro-political and social narratives concern about global climate change has become one of the dominant global social forces, cutting across differences of religion, class, gender, ethnicity and nationality.

Enabled by technology, the continued year over year growth in online shopping has been fueled by a new generation of consumers who want greater convenience, value and options. For consumer businesses, this trend poses both challenges and significant opportunities. Competition is no longer limited to local shops during business hours. Consumers today are shopping all the time and everywhere; and in a truly global online marketplace, products can easily be purchased from retailers and manufacturers

1. located anywhere in the world or
2. from those with no physical retail locations at all.

Consumer demand for richer experiences and greater convenience means that retailers need to rethink their strategy, both online and in stores. Having the right product mix is no longer sufficient to attract the new wave of consumers including Millennials, who are entirely focused on one transaction theirs. Creating an online shopping experience enhanced by technology such as augmented and virtual reality or 3D is becoming at least as important as providing convenient and personalized ordering, payment and delivery options .