E-commerce has rapidly become a mainstay in today's economy, and many websites have built themselves around providing a platform for independent sellers. Sites such as Etsy, Storenvy, Redbubble, and Society6 are increasingly popular options for anyone looking to open their own online store. With this project, I attempted to examine…
E-commerce has rapidly become a mainstay in today's economy, and many websites have built themselves around providing a platform for independent sellers. Sites such as Etsy, Storenvy, Redbubble, and Society6 are increasingly popular options for anyone looking to open their own online store. With this project, I attempted to examine the effects of four different marketing techniques on sales in an online store. I opened a shop on Etsy and tracked sales in connection with promotion through social media, selling products in-person at a convention, holding a holiday tie-in sale, and using price anchoring. Social media accounts were opened on Facebook, Tumblr, and Instagram to promote the shop over the course of the project period, and Etsy's web analytics were used to track which sites directed the most traffic to the shop. I attended a convention in mid-January 2016 where I sold my products and distributed business cards with a discount code to track sales resulting from being at the convention. A holiday sale was held in conjunction with Valentine's Day to look at whether holidays influenced purchases. Lastly, a significantly more expensive product was temporarily put in the shop to see whether it produced a price anchoring effect \u2014 that is, encouraged sales of the less expensive products by making them seem affordable in comparison. While the volume of sales data was too small to draw statistically significant conclusions, the project was a highly instructive experience in the process of opening a small online store. The decision-making steps outlined may be helpful to other students looking to open their own online shop.
This study investigates the impact of technology and social media on religious practices and beliefs concerning death and the afterlife. As the concept of a "Digital Afterlife" becomes more prevalent, questions surrounding its compatibility with religious belief systems and implications on privacy arise. The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the issue,…
This study investigates the impact of technology and social media on religious practices and beliefs concerning death and the afterlife. As the concept of a "Digital Afterlife" becomes more prevalent, questions surrounding its compatibility with religious belief systems and implications on privacy arise. The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the issue, prompting social media platforms to develop digital wills, although their usage remains limited. This research seeks to explore how the Information Age is shaping the concept of the afterlife, its alignment with major religious belief systems, and perceptions of the digital afterlife across various societal groups. Furthermore, the study examines the role of social media in redefining religious values, norms, and boundaries, highlighting the importance of engaging in an ongoing conversation about the complex and evolving intersection of religion, technology, and death.
