Review A Local E-Commerce Site

Hi everyone!

In this round of reviewing a local e-commerce site, I have chosen to do a review on blooming.com.my , which is a online florist website in Malaysia. Blooming Florist has now become a household name, as its quality service and heart-capturing flowers have captured the hearts of many both locally and abroad.

In this review, I will not be writing much about the history of this e-commerce site as that would be more of a write up. Rather, I will be sharing with all of you about the strengths and weaknesses of this website from an objective point of view, as this is my 1st time venturing into this website also. Let me walk you through my whole experience through this website...

Firstly, as I entered the the mainpage of this website, I was actually quite impressed and captivated by the simple yet charming website. The main page as shown below contain beautifully arranged links and components of the website. The first thing that actually caught my attention was the beautiful Chinese New Year Greeting on the top of the main webpage. Immediately, a smile is formed on my lips, as I already begin to feel that the owner of this website wants to connect with its customers and viewers like me .

the main web page

Next I decided to try out the purchasing of something from this website. So I had to start with registering myself, which was actually trouble free. Below is the sign up page...

After signing up, I was free to view do my puchasing. As Chinese New Year was approaching, I decided to purchase a Chinese New Year gift box. With the clear view of every single gft box available and its content as well as its price ( as in the picture below ), I decided on the 2nd item "CNY 2009-18: Empress".

main gift box page...

Lastly, I just had to enter all the necessary details at my express checkout page and it is done! A confirmation letter will then be sent to you. Below are the 2 pictures of the check out page - the upper and lower part of the page...

the top part of the page...

the lower part of the page...

Besides the easy process of signing up and purchasing gifts, the banner which on the top right hand corner of the main page that highlights to customers about the latest updates about this business, is easy to view, as it flows pass at a normal speed. The font and color chosen are also pleasing to the eyes.

However, there are also sevaral obvious weaknesses opf this website.

Firstly, in the main page of this website, on the left corner, there is a feature of under "Interactive" on "Click here for Live Support". However this is a feature that is basically useless as it is not available at all. When I clicked on the feature to try to find out more about their products, all I got was this...

I really do feel that instead of having just that pop-up or ntoice that this feature is not available now, the creators of this website should actually make it available. If not, it is best to just remove this feature, as it is a hugh disaapointment towards customers like me who desperately know next-to-nothing about flowers. It also a huge let down and embarassment to this website and company.

Secondly in the main page, towards the end there is this part on promotions...I feel that it is too clutterred up and is giving me a headache with so many things packed together. Perhaps the design or position should be changed and be spread out more, to give a better view.

the promotion sections is to messy and not easy to be viewed clearly...

As blooming.com.my also caters for customers outside Malaysia, I strongly suggest that this website should be available in more languages, as it is only available in English now. As the website can be translated into more languges, there are able to reach out to more customers from more nations.

All in all, after all has been said and done, I would give this website a 85% rating on my satisfaction towards this website especially on its user-friendly features. I hope that the owner(s) or creator(s) of this website will take note of my comments and improve on their weaknesses.

Have fun enjoying this website!

Link: http://www.blooming.com.my/blooming/

Things to take note to prevent e-auction fraud when a consumer participating in and e-auction

Internets bring convenience to the users, it allows indivuduals to communicate with others, pay bills, purchase things even by just staying at home. Therefore, alot of the e-commerce website appeared and fraud rate is getting higher since people are using them regularly. These e-commerce websites allow sellers to sell things and buyers to place their bid on the items they want. E-auction which is the most widely used online mechanism by certain website, for example Ebay and Lelong, people can shop easily on these websites by the pc on hand, and the price is probably lower then the market price.

However, in order to get the offer from internet, you may have to face some risks for being the target the fraudsters. Here are some tips that might help you to get rid fom them.

First, make sure the seller is a verified member of that particular website. Some sellers might refuse to tell you their phone number, but at least their phone number is known and verified by the website. A better way for prevention fraud is verification of IC, which needs some documents provide by the seller to get verified. It gives more security to the buyer.

Next, read the review or the feedback forum. Sellers build their reputation by having good feedback from their buyers. It gives precaution to others if the sellers cheat. Normally, when a buyer won a bid, he/she may have to pay before seller sending the items to buyer, thus, the victims are usually the buyers.

Last, physical verification is another way. This could be used only if

you are stay near to the seller or some particular places which are stated on the page that you place your bid, and pay money after receiving and checking the item you want, it called, COD (Cash On Delivery).

Hope these might help you on e-auction. Anything not clear, please do not hesitate to ask me by giving comment on my post.

Malaysia's E-government

I dread going to government offices.

It may be to apply for a new MyKad, to apply a passport, or to renew a driving license, what you get is just the same - long queue, a lot of hassle, and in the end, you have to come back a second time.

Now, with the widespread use of the Internet, government departments are setting up their own websites, to provide information and services to the citizens online. This is called electronic government (e-government).

In Malaysia, e-government started with the initiation of the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC), to lead Malaysia into the information age. Since then, the e-government has greatly increased the efficiency and effectiveness of almost all government functions.

There are 7 pilot projects in the e-government flagship application. These projects can be categorised into 3 groups as follows:


Government to Citizen (G2C)
Through Electronic Services, citizens can make transactions with government agencies, for example to pay utility bills or tax liabilities. These transactions can be done via eServices kiosks and over the internet in the comfort of one's own home at any convenient time.

To assist in job seeking and recruiting, the Electronic Labour Exchange (ELX) is implemented. The ELX is an online platform where employers and potential employees communicate. This platform is effective in matching jobs to candidates, in providing labour market information, and in assisting optimal labour utilization.

e-Syariah, the 7th project, is a system of case management for the syariah courts, to improve the quality, effectiveness and productivity of the courts' management and services.

Government to Business (G2B)
Only one project is under this category, and that is e-Procurement. This system enables suppliers to sell goods and services to the government via the internet. Transaction cycles are shortened and thus cost can be reduce.

Government to Government (G2G)
One of the most important projects under this category is the Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS). It is a system developed for the Malaysian Public Service, with objectives including improving effective staffing and right-sizing of civil service, automating HR and operational processes, and promoting a paperless environment.

The Generic Office Environment (GOE) is a powerful document and office management solution that enables users to effectively and efficiently manage their office environment. It is fully web-based and has been customized based on local developed package, DRDok.

Lastly, there is the Project Monitoring System. This is an online system that monitors the entire lifecycle of national programs, i.e. from project application to approval to implementation, mid-term review and completion. With this system in place, Malaysia hopes to improve the quality of its projects by exchanging ideas for best practices and making effective decisions.

To improve customer adoption, many applications have been added to the e-government, such as filing of electronic tax returns, online renewal of driving license, registering voter information and SMS alerts on e-government services. Also, most websites are now bilingual, with Malay and English versions to suit the citizens' preference. Furthermore, besides major government agencies, many district and municipal councils have their own websites, mostly providing area-specific information to the local residents. Various advertisements are also published in the media to promote the awareness of the use of e-government services.

As is clearly seen, e-government has brought about many positive changes to the country. Even the e-government system itself is improving, ranking the 25th in the world - a fitting place as we move closer to Vision 2020.