E-COMMERCE

Social media has emerged as one of the most transformative forces shaping the landscape of entrepreneurship in the contemporary digital economy. Between 1997 and 2024, the rapid evolution of internet-based platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, YouTube, and TikTok has redefined how businesses are created, managed, marketed, and scaled globally. This study examines the relationship between social media and digital entrepreneurship over this period, with emphasis on how digital platforms have influenced entrepreneurial development, business innovation, customer engagement, and market expansion. The study adopts a qualitative research approach, relying on secondary sources such as scholarly journals, textbooks, policy reports, and credible online publications. It traces the historical development of social media from early online networking systems to modern algorithm-driven platforms that support real-time communication, targeted advertising, and data-driven decision-making. The research explores how entrepreneurs leverage social media tools for branding, digital marketing, product promotion, customer relationship management, and e-commerce transactions. Findings from the study indicate that social media has significantly lowered the barriers to entry for entrepreneurship by reducing startup and marketing costs while increasing access to global audiences. It has also enhanced innovation by enabling entrepreneurs to test ideas quickly, gather feedback, and adapt to market demands in real time. However, the study also identifies key challenges such as cyber insecurity, online fraud, misinformation, algorithm dependency, and intense market competition, which may hinder sustainable business growth. The study concludes that social media is a critical driver of digital entrepreneurship in the 21st century, reshaping traditional business models and creating new economic opportunities. It recommends that entrepreneurs develop digital literacy skills, adopt strategic online engagement practices, and implement cybersecurity measures to maximize the benefits of social media while minimizing its risks.

The rapid evolution of digital technologies has transformed e-commerce design standards, leaving many early websites outdated and ineffective. This study focuses on the user- centered redesign of a legacy e-commerce interface, using Arngren.net as a case study. The objective was to evaluate the usability and visual experience of the site and to propose a redesign framework that aligns with modern user experience (UX) and interface design (UI) principles. The research adopted a qualitative case study approach, emphasizing heuristic evaluation and comparative analysis. Using Nielsen’s (2020) ten usability heuristics, Arngren.net was assessed for issues relating to layout consistency, navigation flow, accessibility, and visual hierarchy. Findings revealed significant usability flaws, including poor visual organization, low mobile responsiveness, and non-intuitive navigation. These weaknesses were compared with modern e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, eBay, and Shopify-based stores, which prioritize responsive layouts, accessibility compliance, and streamlined user journeys. Based on these insights, a user-centered redesign framework was proposed, integrating simplicity, responsive design, and user trust as key pillars. The redesigned interface emphasizes clear visual hierarchy, improved navigation menus, accessible content structure, and consistency across devices.

Among the most powerful forces affecting the world’s economy and commerce today is the substantial increase in globalisation through the use of information and communications Technologies (ICTs) (Kaynak et al., 2005). Kaynak et al (2005) sugges was revolutionary, now, it is simply evolutionary. E-commerce provides many opportunities to create better business economics (Oliver, 1999) and some have gone as far as indicating that e- commerce is the “great equalizer” (Quinn, 1999), if these statements are true then it would mean that businesses should be receiving some sort of benefit from the implementation of these
technologies. The ability of the World Wide Web (WWW) to facilitate communication has triggered the need for businesses to think about new ways of conducting their affairs (Herbig and Hale, 1997; Pattinson and Brown 1996; Hamill, 1997). As the medium has been suffering from substantial hype, it would appear that business operators have been reluctant to participate in the e-commerce environment, although various researchers are predicting phenomenal growth in the near future (Hamill, 1997).

The purpose of this school project is to analyse an e-commerce dataset in order to gain insights into customer behaviour, product trend, private strategies and supply chain management. The project will involve collecting and cleaning the data, conducting exploratory data and using statistical and data analytical techniques to uncover pattern and trend. The project will also involve developing visualization and presenting findings to stake holders. By completing this project, student will gain valuable experience in data analysis and develop skills that are highly sought after in today’s job market. Additionally, the insight gained from this project may have practical application for business Looking to optimize their ecommerce operation and improve the customer experience.