On the Future of the Austrian Tele-Shopper

Electronic commerce recently has become a heavily discussed possibility to use the Internet. In particular tele-shopping is seen as one of the most interesting features of networks. Since the treatment of all relevant topics concerning tele-shopping (namely who, when, why, what and how) would go far beyond the scope of the paper , the focus of this article will be on the WHO. This question is investigated with respect to the technological and demographic situation in Austria. The result of these considerations will be a realistical assessement of the future role of the Aus-trians as tele-shoppers in European electronic commerce. Introduction Introduction Introduction Introduction Introduction Buying goods and services always has been a social activity. If time is scarce it might imply stress and pressure. On the other hand relaxed shopping could as well be a most pleasant social event shared with friends and yielding much more than the simple value of the things bought. In regions with less developed infrastructure an important alternative started to flourish: buying from a mail order house via a catalogue of products. This facility is used by many people living in rural areas and/ or by the elderly. For electronic commerce the underlying idea of ordering products from home and getting them delivered seems to be the same. Furthermore electronic commerce is a promising use of the Internet. Since people joining the Internet have access to worldwide databases , it is obvious to view them as consumers and/ or sellers and to open up an electronic market. As a matter of fact there is already a more or less active part of people booking travels, ordering books and CDs and the like via the Internet.