CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0 Introduction

This chapter presents the introduction to the research study under the following headings:

Theoretical Background

Statement of the problem

Aim and objectives of the study

Significance of the study

Scope of the study

Organization of Research

Definition of Terms

1.1 Theoretical Background

The technologies adopted to implement the system are pHp (Hypertext preprocessor) programming language and MySql database. These technologies were chosen because they are well suited for web-based applications. For instance, the source code segment shows how customers table records is created.

CLIENT RECORDS

S/No Date Item Price per item Quantity Surname Other names Country State Address City E-mail Phone no. Transaction number Credit card no. Freight fee(#) Service charge(#) Total Amount of  Item(#) Total Amount Payable(#) Delete_Item

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Fig 1.1: Online shopping client record table design view

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The following problems necessitated this research study:

Many supermarkets suffer low patronage because they cannot reach out to customers in distant locations.

Inability to advertise and market products.

Stock of goods may remain for a long time without being sold

Supermarkets do not take advantage of online shopping to promote sales

To overcome these problems, there is need for the development of an online shopping system for supermarket to boost patronage and advertise the goods offered by the supermarket.

1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of the study is to develop an online supermarket shopping system  with the following objectives:

To develop a website to aid easy ordering of products offered for sale

To provide a website to advertise and promote the supermarket online

To develop a website that holds a database of needed goods by customers that can be accessed by the management of the supermarket.

1.4 Significance of the Study

The significance of the study are it will provide an easy means of reaching to clients in distant locations, it will provide an alternative channel for the supermarket owner to sell  products. The study will also serve as a useful reference material to other scholars seeking related information on the research work

1.5 Scope of the Study

This study covers the design and implementation of an online supermarket shopping system, a case study of Beverly Hills supermarket Ikot Ekpene. It is limited to ordering of products online.

1.6 Organization of the Research

This research work is organized into five chapters.

Chapter one is concerned with the introduction of the research study and it presents the preliminaries, theoretical background, statement of the problem, aim and objectives of the study, significance of the study, scope of the study, organization of the research and definition of terms.

Chapter two focuses on the literature review, the contributions of other scholars on the subject matter is discussed.

Chapter three is concerned with the system analysis and design. It analyzes the present system to identify the problems and provides information on the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed system. The system design is also presented in this chapter.

Chapter four presents the system implementation and documentation. The choice of programming language, analysis of modules, choice of programming language and system requirements for implementation.

Chapter five focuses on the summary, conclusion and recommendations are provided in this chapter based on the study carried out.

1.7 Definition of terms

Online: describes a system which is connected to a larger network or a system that is available or delivered over the Internet.