http://www.ijssit.

com

INTERACTIVE ONLINE SHOPPING SYSTEM

1* 2** 3***
Frankline Limo Josephat Karani Mwai Rose Mutheu Munyao
kimutaifrankline62 @gmail.com [email protected] [email protected]
1
Student, BSc – IT, Kirinyaga University
2, 3
Tutorial Fellows and Researchers, Kirinyaga University- Kenya

Abstract: The 21st century has seen huge advancements in technology that continues to render many manual
applications ineffective. In a bid to leverage on technology, business must strive to leverage technologies for
value addition. In this project, an online shopping system has been developed that allows businesses to sell
products online to the vast customers on the internet. The virtual marketplace takes advantage of advancements
in payment systems as well as help options which has been lacking in existing systems. The context-based FAQs
will be helpful in providing shopping assistance to user. The project uses waterfall methodology. The model
allows for early design changes as well as a milestone focused approach. Technology is ever evolving and
future works will focus on chatbot integration, advanced payment options such as bitcoins as well as
development of a mobile application.
Keywords: shopping system, integration

INTRODUCTION
We are living in the age of technological advances. Development in our society began to happen post the world
wars where the advent of the industrial revolution started changing the face of technologies. The internet has
made significant impact on our lives and continues to do so. Nowadays, millions of user’s access and use the
internet for various purposes throughout the day. They use the internet for searching, browsing, writing and
communication, discussions and the list is ever expanding. With the millions of users actively looking for
various products, information and services, there is a huge opportunity for businesses to jump onto the internet
bandwagon and cash in on the business opportunity that is presenting itself every minute. Technology has
helped build a platform that has enabled the business to cash in on the huge population and market that is now
accessible over the internet and sell to them. Currently, no business be it B2B or B2C can ignore the huge
online market that exist on the internet.
1.1 BACKROUND INFORMATION
The advantages provided by Internet commerce are self-evident, and explain the enthusiasm shared by
companies and customers for trading in this manner. For the supplier, there is greater potential to compete on
a global scale, and cost savings can be attained in terms of staff and real estate by removing the need for public-
facing premises. For the consumer, a means is provided to browse and search for products, and compare the
prices of different suppliers, more quickly and easily than was previously possible. The only constant thing in
the ecommerce realm is change. Sometimes it comes in the form of passing fads, and at other times as a seismic

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shift. The sporadic growth of online shopping has revolutionized this tech savvy society and it will only
continue to flourish as time goes on. This new element to buying and selling allows a wide variety of industries
and businesses to enhance their appeal and the way they market themselves.
By definition, Electronic Commerce or e-commerce is business transactions that take place by communication
networks [1]. It is a process of buying and selling products, services, and information over computer network.
E-commerce is a set of dynamic technologies, applications and business process that link organizations,
customers, suppliers and communities through electronic transactions and the electronic exchange of
information products and services.
1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT
As an industry born out of the Internet revolution, the edges of using technology to fuel business operations
are well known. With the internet fostering the birth of many newcomers threatening reputed players, the need
for differentiating on service has become as critical as the product. The proliferation of smartphones and tablets
has resulted to exponential increase in e-commerce volumes year-on-year, but so has shopping abandonments.
The challenge has been occasioned by poorly designed platforms that has little regards to the customer
experience which has led to low customer retention. To address this challenge, emphasis will be placed on
designing and developing an integrated system that makes it easy for customers to seamlessly interact with the
system.
1.4 DEVELOPED SYSTEM
The system is a web-based system which can manage and handle all the transaction of online shopping such
as customer login/registration, provide an option to search for products and place orders online. The system
has an interactive FAQs to help customers find information about the various products anytime on the go. It is
part of a wider transition to automated business processes and systems that support customer service.
Additionally, the system will be able to provide a seamless transition between the disparate systems. This will
make it easy for customers to browse the site, place orders, make payments and request for delivery effortlessly.
The delivery option will have Google map API integrated to help with location tracking easing the process of
delivery.
Consequently, the tedious process of adding products into the system will be made easy by implementing a
parser that will make it easy to import in an excel file format. In this model, product categories can be prepared
in an excel format then using the parser, the site can be updated with the products by a simple import option.
Real time notification will be incorporated into the system. It will come in the form of emails SMS based
notifications. Upon successful placement of an order, a customer will receive an SMS with the details of the
order in addition to the delivery information if he/she had requested. The system will support a number of
payment options that is PayPal, Skrill, Payoneer as well as M-pesa. The system will also incorporate an
administration portal where the admin can be able to view the flow of products along the chain. The
administration end will also be crucial when responding to the FAQs from customers. By doing this, the
business can be able to adjust to any emerging issues as they occur.
1.5 MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THE SYSTEM
The main objective of the project is to develop an online shopping system which will help with the selling of
products online that is easy to use and improve system interactivity.

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1.5.1 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE SYSTEM

 To analyze existing online shopping systems
 To design and develop an interactive E-commerce system by integrating the different system modules.
 Improving interaction with customers through the use of notifications and context-sensitive FAQs.
1.6 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Figure 1: Conceptual framework

1.7 SCOPE
Th scope of this project is to develop a web-based E-commerce platform that enables customers to browse,
view, order, and review products and services over the internet. The administrator will have access to a visual
dashboard allowing them to perform basic CRUD operations on accounts, products and users. The
administrator will also be able to access statistics and reports on the status of platform activities. Emphasis will
be placed on seamless system transition as well as interactivity through the use of automated context-based
FAQ’s.
1.8 LIMITATIONS
The project will have the following limitations;
i. The location feature must be on to allow location tracking within the delivery system.
ii. Basic internet knowledge is required.
1.9 JUSTIFICATION
 Provide real time support – The interactive FAQs will help provide users with answers when they
need it.
 Wider customer reach – Eighty percent of the web population make their purchases online. With an
E-commerce system, one doesn’t need multiple storefronts to be seen across the entire world.

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 Increase revenues – This will be achieved through reducing cart abandonment product conversion and
lessened transaction friction.
 Increased agility – The business is able to respond to changes happening in the market place and the
business environment in near real-time.

LITERATURE REVIEW
2.0 INTRODUCTION
E-commerce is not a relatively new concept in the market. The idea of selling goods and services online as
opposed to brick and mortar establishment has reshaped the modern market place in recent years. In this
section, focus will be placed on analyzing existing E-commerce systems in a bid to identify gaps that should
be addressed. The purpose of this review is to link between existing E-commerce with the future dynamics of
such platforms in taking advantage of virtual markets.
2.1 KILIMALL
Kilimallis one among Kenya's largest online shopping mall. It was launched in July 2014 and its mission is to
become No.1 E-commerce platform in Africa [4]. It serves a retail customer base that continues to grow
exponentially, offering products that span various categories including Phones, Computers, Clothing, Shoes,
Home Appliances, Books, healthcare, Baby Products, personal care and much more [4]. Its range of services
are designed to ensure optimum levels of convenience and customer satisfaction with the retail process; order
delivery-tracking, dedicated customer service support and many other premium services [4]. As they continue
to expand the mall, their scope of offerings will increase in variety, simplicity and convenience. They are a
highly customer-centric and are committed towards finding innovative ways of improving their customers'
shopping experience. The platform has a home page that allows one to register and login. After login, a user
has the ability to browse the site for products and services and add them to cart. After adding them to cart, the
customer is allowed to proceed to payment and checkout and other delivery options details. The FAQs section
is a static page with links to the answers of possible questions.

Figure 2 : Kilimall

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2.2 JUMIA
Jumia Kenya is an Online Shopping site. You can purchase mobile phones, tablets, computers & laptops,
women's fashion, men's fashion and more online and have them delivered to you. Jumia has payment options
that suit everyone, and it has a payment-on-delivery option for extra convenience [5]. Jumia Fashion and Style
is also another module with top brands such as The Arrow, Nike, top quality shirts. Additionally, you can get
classy women shoes from H&S and other amazing options. In Jumia online shop you are even able to pre-order
the phones you want. Computing products are also available i.e. laptops, printers and other storage devices
such as hard drives at affordable prices. The platform has a home page that allows one to register and login.
After login, a user has the ability to browse the site for products and services and add them to cart. After adding
them to cart, the customer is allowed to proceed to payment and checkout and other delivery options details.
The FAQs section is a static page with links to the answers of possible questions.

Figure 3: Jumia
2.3 OLX
OLX is a classifieds platform which provides local communities in high-growth markets with vibrant online
marketplaces: OLX connects local people to buy, sell or exchange used goods and services by making it fast
and easy for anyone to post a listing through their mobile phone or on the web [7]. Every month, hundreds of
millions of people in local markets around the world are already using OLX's online marketplace to find and
sell a wide range of products, including computers, cell phones, furniture, sporting goods, services, cars, real
estate, and many more [7]. Just like Jumia, Killimall and other platforms, OLX is no different when it comes
to FAQs. They have a single page dedicated to this feature. It consists of possible questions and their respective
answers.

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Figure 4: Olx
2.4 RUPU
Rupu Kenya is a daily deals and discounts website that started operations in December, 2010 and is based in
Nairobi, Kenya. It provides online marketing resources for small and large businesses, helping them to reach
the millions of Kenyans taking to the internet, in a cost-effective manner. Its focus in Kenya is exclusively in
building web and mobile platforms, focusing on getting authentic Kenyan content on the internet [6]. The
platform does not have an FAQs section and support is only provided through phone, email, physical visits as
well as a blog that tries to answer many of the questions users might have concerning the system and the
products.

Figure 5: Rupu

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2.5 PIGIAME
PigiaMe is an online classifieds platform that offers buyers and sellers a unique opportunity to effectively reach
their target audience. It basically offers E-commerce as a service. PigaMe is all about safety for both buyers
and sellers. Automated checks allow them to early identify fraudulent users [8]. More importantly, it ensures
that everything on PigiaMe is thoroughly reviewed by our team and passes our high-quality standards. It offers
free listings to advertisers allowing them unlimited and direct contact to their potential markets. PigiaMe does
the hard work of ensuring your advertisements reach greater target audiences at a touch of a button by
leveraging on the PigiaMe network of associates and partner sites [8]. The platform has a home page that
allows one to register and login. After login, a user has the ability to browse the site for products and services
and add them to cart. After adding them to cart, the customer is allowed to proceed to payment and checkout
and other delivery options details. The FAQs section is a static page with links to the answers of possible
questions [8]. On the other hand, sellers can create an account and select their items based on the relevant
category. They are then allowed to fill in all the details of the products as well as an option of uploading photos.
The admin will then approve the post and then start selling on the platform.

Figure 6: PigiaMe
2.6 EXISTING GAPS
i. Poor user interface design – The existing systems have a very complicated user interface that makes
it difficult for users for follow through while shopping. According to Baymard institute, a web
research company in the UK, 67.45% of online carts are abandoned as a result of poorly designed
interfaces which is difficult to navigate.
ii. Static FAQs pages – FAQs exists to provide answers to frequently asked question. In the current
systems, this section is a static page with others such as Kilimall having sub-links to the answers
2.7 CONCLUSION
The review of literature in this section has focused on Kenyan E-commerce systems with special emphasis on
interactivity and usability. Despite the enormous strides made in making E-commerce systems usable and more

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interactive, there still exists areas that needs improvement. It is important to point out that having reviewed the
five existing systems, two system functionalities stand out that is user interface and support option. This project
will thus strive to address these two critical areas for success in E-commerce

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.0 INTRODUCTION
This section, focus will be placed on explaining the system methodology to be used when developing the
interactive E-commerce system.
3.1 SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT METHODOLOGY
The process of system development should be broken down into small and distinct sections to ease the process
of development. In this project, waterfall model of system development will be used.
3.1.1WATERFALL
Waterfall model is a technique used in system development. This linear sequential life cycle model is very
easy to understand and use since each phase must be completed before the next phase can begin and no
overlapping in the various phases. It is comprised of six phases that is requirements analysis, system design,
implementation, testing, deployment and finally maintenance. It is important to note that during each phase of
the life cycle, a set of well-defined activities will be carried out.
Below is a diagram representing the waterfall system development life cycle model.
The sequential phases in Waterfall model are:
1. Requirement Gathering and analysis: In this step, emphasis will be placed on understanding the
system requirements. This is in recognition of the fact that poorly defined requirements will affect the
entire system development process. The analysis will involve understanding the feasibility of the
project in terms of its workability.
2. System Design – System design is the second step in the waterfall system development life cycle. In
this phase, emphasis has been placed on the designing of the various aspects of the system that is the
user interface, the database as well as the application logic. Additionally, in this phase, the system
architecture, configuration as well as the hardware will be defined to support the system being
developed.
3. Implementation – This phase involved putting the design in the second phase into computer code.
Since the project is a web-based system, then web programming languages has been extensively used
in achieving the objectives of this project. Web based technologies such as PHP, MySQL as well as
Frontend languages such as Bootstrap, JavaScript, HTML5 and CSS3 will be used. There will also be
integration with third party APIs for Google map as well as for the payment options such as PayPal.
4. Integration and testing – Once the development process is complete, the project entered the
integration and testing phase. Focus in this step is on ensuring that each of the units and components
developed are working as earlier anticipated.
5. Deployment – After successful testing, the system goes into deployment phase. At this stage, the
system will have undergone extensive testing and all bugs and errors fixed. The project will be live

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ready to be used by the end users in the process of doing shopping. Additionally, a choice will have to
be made on the best strategy to use when doing the deployment.
6. Maintenance – Systems are prone to changes due to the dynamic nature of technology. In this phase,
emphasis will be placed to fine tuning the system to meet the ever-changing customer demands and
improve performance.
3.1.2 JUSTIFICATION FOR USING WATERFALL
1. The model allows for early design changes – The model places huge emphasis on requirement and design
before writing any single line of code which ensures minimal time wastage and effort in design changes
2. This is a milestone focused project which works well with waterfall model. It offers an inherent linear
structure with a date-focused paradigm.

4.0 SYSTEM DESIGN

4.1 INTRODUCTION
This section will focus on the system requirements, input form, process design and the output of the system.
The contents of this section will form the basis of the project implementation
4.2 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
4.2.1 HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
Consist of hardware requirements to be met in order to successfully run the web based online electronics
shopping system for example:
Desktop Computer
To be used for design and development of the system. The computer had these specifications:
 Intel® Pentium® processor (or equivalent) with a speed of 2.50GHz or greater
 At least 2GB RAM
 30 GB (or larger) Hard Disk Drive
4.2.2 SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
To successfully run the web based online Electronics Shopping system, there are a number of software
requirements had to be met which were:
 Operating System: Windows 7 or higher versions of OS (either x86 or x64)
 Microsoft Office 2007, 2010, 2013 or higher
– This tool will be used to do the documentation.
 Antivirus: Kaspersky, SMADAV, or NOD 32
– Was used to avoid virus attack that can lead to data loss or corruption.
 Database Management System: MySQL
- A database to store the details of various products, customers, suppliers and other details.

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 Wamp Server 2.1

– It will be used as a web server.
 Programming languages
– PHP, HTML, JavaScript, C#, CSS

4.3 High Level Requirements

Figure 7: High Level Requirements

Design Modules
Online electronic shopping consists of the following modules:
Visitors Module
In this module visitor are able to view the available products. It consists of the following features

Visitor Features
View Home Banners or Slide Show Gallery

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Browse Products
View General FAQs
Become a Member through Registration process
User Module
At this module User can view and purchase products. It consists of the following features:
Registered Member Panel
Login to site
Manage Account
My Profile
My Orders
Buy Product (Checkout)
Logout

Admin Module
The Admin have some extra privilege including all privilege of visitor and user. The Admin is able to add
products edit product information and add/remove product. He has the ability to add user, edit user information
and can remove user. Admin will have the ability to ship order to user based on order placed by sending
confirmation mail or SMS. The Admin module will have the following features:

Admin Panel
Login
Dashboard
Administrator User Management
Site Member (Customer) Management
Product Attribute Management
Product Management
Order Manager
FAQs management

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DATA FLOW DIAGRAM

4.4 PROCESS DESIGN

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Figure 8: Process Design

4.5 Use case

Figure 9: Use case

USE CASE EXPLANATION

Register:
If a customer is new user, he can request to register page. A register page open and asks total
information about customer and also asks to customer to choose login (email address) and password.
Login:
The customer can login by enter name and password. The system verifies the name and password matches. If
not matches, error messages show to the customer.
Browse products:
The customer requests to view the product in product category. The system will display the information about
product of selected category.
Search product:
The customers enter the search product parameters and request a search product. The system search through
products category in database and gives information. If not matches, gives fail message.

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View shopping cart:

The customer request to view the shopping cart. The system returns the shopping cart to customer, the price
and total price shows to customer.
Add shopping cart:
When customer finds the product he wants, add to shopping carts. The system stores and track the information
about product.
Update customer info:
The customer request to update customer info about his name, address…. Etc. If updated information system
stores in database which is updated. After purchase one product the payment information stores in current
information.
Check out:
The customer completes the shopping he request to checkout. If the payment information exists the credit card
information sends to Credit Verification Company. If credit card information not matches it shows enter valid
information or cancel order. If the credit card is valid, the order form will be processed by the system and
checkout is complete.
Verify credit card:
The credit verification company is validating the credit card information. If the information correct returns to
admin. If not, the customer will be asked to re-input his payment information.
Update product info:
The admin request to update product info includes price, brand…etc. and system updates in database.
Update inventory:
The admin request to update inventory. The system update’s in database.
Login and Registration page

Figure 10 Login and Registration

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Product Category

Figure 11 Product category

Add Products form

Figure 12 Add products form

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Adding products to cart

Figure 13 Add products to cart

View cart

Figure 14 View cart

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Delivery Details

Figure 15 Delivery details

Context-based FAQs

Figure 16 View FAQ's

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Admin side

Figure 17 Admin side

Database

Figure 18 Database Structure

Users table

Figure 19 User table

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Category table

Figure 20 Category table

Orders table

Figure 21 orders table

4.6 CONCLUSION
System design is an important part of any software development project. Systems design implies a systematic
approach to the design of a system. It is systematic wherein it takes into account all related variables of the
system that needs to be created—from the architecture, to the required hardware and software, right down to
the data and how it travels and transforms throughout its travel through the system. A poorly done design phase
spells doom on the success of the project. This section has conclusively tackled the various design concerns
that will be crucial in the final project implementation.

5.0 SYTEM TESTING

5.1 Unit Testing
The system is composed of a number of units that will be tested independently. The administrator should be
able to add products, view order list and general system maintenance. The users should be able to browse the
various products and place orders.
5.2 Interface Testing
This section lists the functional requirements used for creating the test-case table, the test cases that were used
to verify the interface table, and the results for the test-cases table.
Functional requirement Description

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FR01 Authentication that is for the user and

administrator
FR02 Browsing all categories
FR03 View items added to cart
FR04 CRUD categories
FR05 View all the users registered on the system
FR06 View users who have placed items on cart
FR07 No checkout with empty cart
FR08 Provide all required details in the form

Table 1 Interface Testing

Test Cases
The table below shows the various test cases and their description.
Functional Requirement (FR) Test case (TC) Description
FR01 TC01 Admin Authentication
FR02 TC02 User Authentication
FR03 TC03 View items added to cart
FR04 TC04 Admin CRUD options
FR05 TC05 User information by admin
FR06 TC06 Users who have orders placed
FR07 TC07 No checkout on empty cart
FR08 TC08 Filled all required fields
Table 2 test cases
The following table shows how the various testing cases will be accomplished. The alternative output shows
the deviation from the system intended purpose.
TC Condition Input Output Alternative
output
TC01 Testing logins Username & Valid Error message
Password destination
page
TC02 Viewing User adds items Cart page Empty cart
items added to to cart popups and
cart options to

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delete items
added
TC03 Admin can Login then New items No products
upload upload products successfully added to the
products uploaded system
TC04 Admin can Login and view User list Empty
view users database
registered
users
TC05 Users who Logins and order Orders placed Empty
placed orders list database
TC06 No checkout Logins and view Disabled Checkout
with empty cart checkout button active
cart option
TC07 FAQs Type a question Suggested No answer
questions and Q&A found
answers
Table 3 Testing Cases Extended
Outcome
Table 3 lists the test cases that were used while testing the interface along with the expected result and the
actual results for each test case.
Test case Expected result Actual output
TC01 Positive Positive
TC02 Positive Positive
TC03 Positive Positive
TC04 Positive Positive
TC05 Positive Positive
TC06 Positive Positive
TC07 Positive Positive
Table 4 Output
5.3 Usability Testing
System usability is an important part of the system. It is important that we test for usability in a bid to ascertain
the success of the system. The following table shows elements tested for usability.
Element Output
intuitive design Yes

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Help-support Yes
Catalog navigation Yes
Site navigation Yes
Performance Yes
Dead hyperlink and plugin dependency No
Runtime error messages No
Incorrect display of pages No
Table 5 Usability testing
5.4 System Changeover
System changeover is an important part of any system implementation. The process of putting new system into
operation demands critical thinking and close collaboration among the various business units of an
organization. There exists a number of changeover techniques but this project will take advantage of direct
changeover technique. Despite the fact that it is the least favorable model of system implementation, it is
desirable since it will save on cost. Using this model, the entire system is replaced in an instant. Basically, as
soon as the new system is powered up, the old system is shut down. This type of changeover carries the most
risk because, if something goes wrong, reverting back to the old system usually is impossible.
In addition, it is very difficult to detect minor errors as due to absence of parallel system. Errors may be there
because testing data is not as big as there may be live data. Sometimes major errors can terminate the system
so whole operation will be stopped and there will be difficulty of back up. To help mitigate system downtimes,
the company will analyze system use and identify the time when users do not access the system in huge
numbers. By doing this, we will help reduce the overall impact the system will cause on sales and profits.

CONCLUSION AND FUTURE WORKS

6.1 CONCLUSION
Online shopping has grown by leaps and bounds in the last few years and is fast becoming popular. The promise
of online shopping is now evident more than ever. Growth of online shopping has been characterized by strong
consumer demands and the increasing number and type of goods available. The internet is only going to
become more popular as time goes by and purchasers worldwide become more comfortable about the security
and on-time delivery of their purchases. This is the one area of merchandising that continues to have a positive
outlook far into the future. This project has been instrumental in demonstrating the fact that online shopping is
possible moving into the future. In this project, customers will be able to browse through the various product
categories, add to cart and interact with the context-based FAQs.
6.2 Project success
i. The project allows user to browse through the different product categories
ii. Customers can add products to the cart and view them before proceeding with the checkout process
iii. A success message is displayed to the users upon payment and successful checkout

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iv. Users are able to interact with the context-based FAQs

6.3 Future Work
The following section discusses the work that will be implemented with future releases of the system. One of
the features that will be integrated into the system in the future is a chatbot. There exist huge advances in AI
and machine learning and E-commerce platform can benefit from these developments by incorporating a
chatbot to help users navigate the site and have their issues resolved automatically without the need to have
human intervention. Additionally, Payment options continues to advances across the globe with the entry of
cryptocurrencies such as bitcoins and blockchain technology. This should be incorporated as the payment
options mature. Lastly, advances in artificial intelligence will allow businesses to provide custom tailored
custom experience to its users since the system remember your preferences, gauge your level of interest in a
certain item, and make dynamic adjustments to the price and options.

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