The Use Of Recommendation Systems

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Abstract

New role of the information in terms of the Internet has opened period of a new economy. The rapidity with which the information society turns into a society of information and knowledge leads to a reflection on the new economy that takes into account not only the Internet market and the effect of information on the Internet on all businesses, but also the effect of knowledge as an economic factor which requires recognition of intangible assets in general, in the creation of economic value and the requirements to achieve a sustainable society.

In this respect, the electronic business became fundamental for modern enterprises so that web applications in e-commerce have expanded, offering a range of facilities for both customers and vendors. Based on these considerations we proposed in this paper, to track how can to optimize an online store using recommendation systems and the customer loyalty.

The paper is structured in two parts, in the first part we present the characteristics of electronic commerce in the Information Society, the theoretical concepts concerning recommendation systems, loyalty and optimizing of web applications, stages of search engine optimization (SEO), SEO in marketing online, so that in the second part we realized an online store to promote and sell French wines, in which we have implemented a system of recommendation and the customer loyalty in order to stimulate sales.

Another aspect followed in this paper was to optimize the wine shop, on the one hand, we designed a database whose structure we optimized a technique using normalization and, on the other hand, indexing web site by search engines. To increase the number of visitors to the website, we decided to implement SEO technologies for the major search engines. I finally had in mind extend and improve the application in the future, for which we intend to introduce new facilities in order to increase its performance and to place the store on the best possible position in the profile market.

1. Electronic commerce in the era of the information society

The Society entered since the last decades of the twentieth century in the information era, such, the information has become the vector of progress, leading, after the appearance of the Internet, and to setting up what has been called information society. Information society represents a stage of human civilization, a new way of life, quality superior involving intensive use of information in all spheres of activity and human existence, with major economic and social impact. Information society is characterized by the explosive growth of information "digital" available through ICT products, which means, for governments and administrations, public services more efficient, more transparent and faster, closer to the needs of individuals and less expensive.

If the technologies of the new society is constituted by the convergence of three sectors: information technology, communications technology, digital content production, technological progress has enabled the emergence of new multimedia services and applications that combine sound, image and text and use all means of communication (telephone , fax, television and computers). The development of these means of communication and the information technology is an important factor to increase company competitiveness, opening new perspectives for better work organization and job creation. We can say that it forms a new culture of economic agent’s competitiveness across all sectors in the new economy, digital economy.

The digital economy requires a higher consumption design work, high skill which creates higher added value, new jobs, the parts unlimited of business opportunities and creativity, by the existence of flexible standards and interconnected that facilitate integration needs and / or individualization of the different consumers.

The Internet represents new opportunities for traditional companies including diversification of services and promoting new services, personalized and attractive, which the information technologies make them possible. In this context, it was allowed to develop a new form of commerce, namely e-commerce that fosters competition and competitiveness by developing new products. When we say the Internet, the ordinary user refers actually to the use of websites.

Through e-commerce is offered the opportunity to practice individual marketing (Botescu, I., 2007), it is possible to adapt the product to the customer requirements by specifying the desired characteristics using forms implemented through the website.

E-commerce has a number of advantages for the customer that materialized on: increased convenience, multiple options, easily available information, personalized pages, but and a lot of advantages for the trader by attracting new customers through a new distribution channel, sales enhanced by existing customers, sales to request, the reduced inventory costs and operating.

Electronic commerce is one of complex integrated solutions offered by Internet technology, which means that a multitude of applications and Internet service providers must work together in perfect timing, for as to work an e-commerce site.

2. Recommender systems, loyalty and optimizing of web applications

Recommender systems

The recommender systems supports the users in identifying products and services of interest / favorite when the number and complexity of offers existing on the market exceed the capability of the user to inspect them to make a decision on the selection or purchase. They proved to be an important response at the information overload problem, by providing by users of some more personalized information services and proactive.

In recommendation systems are used three techniques:

• Collaborative filtering - propose recommendations based on what a user group appreciated;

• Content-based filtering - based on rich descriptions of the products content;

• Hybrid filter - integrates features of both techniques.

Loyalty Systems

Loyalty systems represent an assembly of measures that are designed to attract customers and encourage them to return with new orders. Originally, customer satisfaction, represented the priority of manufacturer, but observed that they quickly migrate from one manufacturer to another. It is disseminated the need for customer loyalty through various activities and programs: promotional offers, discounts, loyalty points.

Benefits of the loyalty systems can be summarized in:

• reduce costs: costs of providing services to an existing customer are lower than those needed to attract a new customer;

• reduce business risk: you can get higher income from existing customers without longer invest in attracting new customers;

• increasing the number of satisfied customers.

Optimizing a website

Traffic a website can be generated by search engines, web directories and direct visitors. Optimizing a website is a process that involves structuring it, for to be indexed by search engines, in the most efficient way to be easily found when searching for different words or groups of words. The importance of website optimization derives from the need to be identified in searches by potential customers on the leading search engines (Google, Yahoo, MSN).

Optimizing your site for search engines is one of the two main methods of online promotion of website with paid advertising on specialized sites. The process of search engine optimization has the advantage minimal effort, and is necessary to weigh performing once. However, duration of the making of this process is between 6 months and 1 year, the first results are visible after about three months, from that point it is growing.

In order for a website to become a successful business, it must have an attractive design that offers useful features and user friendly and is optimized to appear in top results of any search. Another important element is the content of the website represented by elements that capture the attention of visitors who must inspire a high quality and high reliability.

Search Engine Optimization- SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can be defined as a set of methodologies that help improve a site's visibility in search engine pages. Search Engine Optimization is the process of optimizing a web site or a web page for search engine, assuming a set of actions undertaken on a website / blog in order to manipulate favorable position (ranking) keyword relevant site in search engines (http://www.endd.ro/definitii-seo/). Basically, SEO aims to bring relevant traffic (which generates money and fame) to the site.

To create a link between what contains page and keywords that characterize, can change page content, meta tags, the informational structure of site, quantity and quality of links, images, structure of the URLs, through their rewriting, so that it is easy to remember by visitors (http://www.website-ieftin.ro/articol-site/11-ce-inseamna-optimizare-seo. html).

Depending activities, SEO is divided into two main categories:

On Site SEO is useful for as a site to offer, to their visitors, its information about the activity posed by (products / services, etc.) in a manner attractive, credible, concise, coherent and well organized in its pages. Content strategies include a range of activities performed either personal site or on the customer, in order to optimize:

 text (change the text based on the rules);

 html meta tags;

 informational structure of site (categories, labels / tags, pages)

 URLs (rewriting them);

 photos, links and any other HTML element.

Off Site SEO (link building) aimed at attracting / getting external links by the off-site promotional campaigns or even by the strategies for achieving of the pages content internal of the site if it is interesting and users wish to take over and to distribute it through their website, including the following types of actions:

 web directory submission;

 buying items with link to the site;

 writing some quality articles on blog / website (a good article, the quality will get links to other blogs, through their recommendation);

 the publication on link on twitter and social networks;

 make link exchange campaigns, advertorials and strategic partnerships with other websites.

For as these types of strategies of creation the optimized content and by online promotion to have effect, it is important to realize the difference between them, the purpose and specificity of each of them. Whether you opt for a complex strategy that includes both achieve optimized content for the pages of the web site and for link baiting and online promotion / link building, whether you assign separately parameters for each of these strategies, we need to establish from the beginning some basic guidelines that will build optimization strategies on site, and promotion off site:

• the purpose / the objectives of these actions

• target audience you want to attract him through these strategies

• how to achieve goals

• Deadlines for building and implementing these strategies

• Monitoring of results: popularity / links, volume of qualified traffic, conversions.

The optimization is necessary because search engines have huge traffic, million daily users use websites to find different information. Thus, occurs the problem of classifying by sites according to certain criteria, to facilitate the search process, whose solution involves implementing a complex indexing algorithm and improved periodically, taking into account a number of factors influence.

The SEO optimization is a method to improve traffic on the web site pages fairly inexpensive. Optimization strategy starts from the design stage, when is a list of ideas, by requiring the design, content and structure page.

Search Engine Optimization - natural optimization - is considered the more technical part of online marketing, assuming optimizing of the pages or the websites, so that they are more "friendly" to search engines. Includes all operations / changes / updates to the website content, internal and external links, so that their results are best possible visibility of your site in search engine natural results of Google, Bing or Yahoo and others. Optimization is necessary because most Internet users choose the priority responses by the first results page of search engine used, and involves editing the source code and content the web page to increase relevance to certain keywords.

Stages of search engine optimization (SEO)

The SEO optimization is an entire process that begins once with the site design starts and never ends, assuming the following activities:

1. Optimization involves first choosing a domain name as representative, which involves the following actions:

 thorough analysis of competition;

 organization of content and identify a set of keywords that describe efficiently the "big picture" of the content which you will find on web pages (will be ordered based on their importance, the most important / relevant being of the first). It will create a keyword list consisting of a single word, and another which will contain expressions made ​​up of two words;

 identify the prospective visitors, determining the target audience;

 choosing a suitable domain name, enabling an easier localization of the server;

2. Analysis of SEO Site - to promote a business online, it is necessary to analyze the site and find factors which may hamper accurate and complete indexation by search engines (http://www.dezvoltare-site-seo.ro/ servicii-seo/analiza-website /). In this regard, will be realized:

Technical analysis takes into account the essential components for achieving an accurate and complete indexing of pages by search engines, and to find effective ways of navigation:

 precision of the source code;

 setup correctness of meta tags and files "robots.txt" and "sitemap.xml";

 existence of some sort and selection filters to create duplicate pages and spam generation;

 correct outline of numbered pages for the products / services of the same class;

 precise structuring of database and checking error pages;

 correctness the functioning of contact modules, online orders or comments;

 load speed of the site;

the content optimization, involves finding the suitable collection of keywords and principal expressions and how they to find on site:

 configuration of URLs of pages of categories and products / services;

 source code and composition of meta tags;

 optimal organization of text in pages: inclusion of information in a balanced way, making the original descriptions, which to have key phrases to be harmoniously integrated, in order to limit spam;

 optimizing the use of images and audio-visual materials by using key words and phrases that include the links streamlined;

 checking links between pages.

In 2013 the SEO techniques and "practices" of promotion online become more complex, sophisticated and "changeable", especially after the expansion of social networking sites, from Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest until blogs and forums.

In this context, Google - the most popular search engine in Romania - almost entirely reinvented lately, so that in 2013 traditional optimization techniques on site and off site, does not ensure only reasonable positions in results pages search, but may attract penalty drastic and lasting of a website.

"Search Engine Optimization" aims in 2013, to change full, not only the techniques but and the approach mode to construction and content of a website "optimized". Search engines improve of their algorithm indexing and classification of web pages trying to imitate the human mind: to think like one who thinks looking to give results as close as possible to the preferences and expectations.

There are a number of techniques and methods that apply to a site for it to become in time, a more efficient search engine. Web optimization is one of the cheapest ways to promote a website, traffic generated after optimization is mostly given by search engines. Location / position you to the site, occupied after a simple search is hard work in the process of optimization.

Web optimization has a number of advantages:

 a site optimized, well-structured, quickly is highlighted by taking a leading position after a search on certain keywords;

 traffic generated by search engines is free, thus increasing customer area for site, depends on direct involvement.

Along with the advantages of Web optimization, there are however a number of negative aspects due positioning by illegal methods of illegal promotion of some sites, on the better positions in the results list.

Finally, by SEO optimization, the firm pays a sum of money, as his website to be found in the first results in the search for a / or more keywords, thus benefiting from the huge traffic of search engines. In addition, will benefit by visitors, who seek exactly what they offer, as an investment which will be amortize in time. The site can be optimized for search engines and through their own forces, implying minimal material investment, but the results are much better if the work is done by a professional. Unfortunately there are some disadvantages and there is no guarantee that the site will be or to remain in first position to a particular search.

Currently, the SEO techniques on site and off site SEO strategies, is closer to advertising (an ad honest and quality) and of the underlying mechanisms of the social networks:

•quality of the content is more important than the number of keywords or how many times repeat them;

• permanent communication channels open: the site will have Facebook page and Google+ or Pinterest but and forums;

• must give more specific and relevant information, in detriment the Web pages by text superficial and insubstantial;

• give greater importance to video / audio / presentations / pictures;

• would meet the visitor with the answers to "Frequently Asked Questions";

• to give up the information gathered from various online sources and integrate on the websites by using the "copy - paste";

• Promote off site, will also have to give up old habits and choose fewer links but quality, and as far as possible natural;

• defining and promoting the brand.

The idea of promoting a website or an online business environment started from the need to attract visitors / customers and began with simplistic techniques, which is evolving to the elements measurable by optimization, through keyword, statistics and reports positioning and traffic.

The online environment is constantly expanding, making it as permanently to consider new elements and SEO techniques, concerning optimizing of pages of the websites in the modern online context.

The Standard SEO techniques have not lost value, but have lost the strength to support a website and we can not rely only on them for a truly profitable online advertising. The optimizing of the pages - "SEO on page" - requires new techniques and diverse as promoting "SEO off site". Position on a particular keyword, bring visits, commercials and conversions in many cases. But if, the optimized page and with a good position in search engines, not gives users what they want, they will abandon the search results quicker than ever before. A good ranking not necessarily bring traffic.

Also, page loading speed is important, as well as design. A design in which the title and a menu item, like images, are configured so that everything is in side bar or even advertising content, to fit into a smaller page, visible on a mobile device, iPad or Android tablet, it is extremely important.

The conversion rate, click-through rates, time on site and "crawl rate" are aspects that influence not just interaction with search engines and positioning of website, but also, indexing and how interacts with users.

The pages of the Web site will be distributed on social networks, provided that the site to have interesting content and adequate image.

The SEO optimization must be make the first on the pages of the web site, for to be better seen on search engines, and then to make the promotion the effective on the Internet. The SEO promotion, is not just advertising on the Internet, but also the manner in which the image is promoted, it provides sharp images on the Internet, and provides enhanced functionality for websites owned.

4. SEO in Online Marketing

The SEO optimization is an online marketing class that appeared by the premiums the internet sites but has grown with the development of technology and the meaning of the keywords.

Internet Marketing includes SEO and additional online marketing tools, which it can use to get the attention of potential customers and of the search engines. Online marketing incorporates the following types of marketing:

• Search Engine Marketing (SEM) - very related to SEO, SEO is part of SEM;

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO);

• Social media marketing (SMM) - actions taken on social platforms (blog, twitter, facebook, social networking, forums, etc.) to connect and build a relationship with target audience (customers and potential customers);

• content marketing - video marketing, article marketing, image marketing;

• affiliate marketing;

• e-mail marketing / direct marketing;

• banner advertising;

• viral marketing;

• word of mouth marketing, is based on recommendations made ​​by customers;

• black hat online marketing, not is a model of long-term use but is recommended for beginners and people without advanced technical skills.

Online marketing has a direct impact on (http://www.academiade marketing.ro / tag / definition-on-internet-marketing): web design (ease of use site - usability), the control process, the site structure / blog, the programming technologies used, copywriting with web copywriting, SEO copywriting.

In conclusion, we can say that if you want to sell online, if you want to make yourself known online, then absolutely any online step must be guided by the rules of online marketing. Thus, regardless of SEO techniques applied to a website, the content of the quality web added frequently is that a gravitational force for all - in vain receive the links Web, if the source does not have the content web, in vain promote a page that does not have at least a minimal description.

The SEO specialist must have imagination, be creative, he knows a little programming, web design, online marketing and especially to be passionate of online.

The SEO optimization is dined widely available, since when the number of search engines and web sites soared.

We can summarize the most useful and faster internet marketing and SEO tools, which lead to optimization of their activity:

Google Analytics and Awstats - is a program for quality statistics, as being absolutely necessary to optimize a site, based on the knowledge from which searches will come visitors, you can optimize your site, trying to attract as much traffic as possible.

Analytics has 5 sections:

1. Dashboard (home page) allows you to add desired information to appear to save time when track the statistics;

2. Visitors, provide information about visitors (geographical area, browser, resolutions, visitor’s new and old, time spent on site, the type of network etc.).

3. Traffic provides information about traffic sources, referral, keywords, search engines;

4. Content, provides information about the pages that receive the most visits, pages input and output, and can promote them more these pages.

5. Goals (purposes, whisks) refer to setting goals for monetization oriented traffic using respectively visitor management in a certain section of the blog (registration page, download page).

AWStats is one of the most complex free tracking software to analyze traffic, having Google Analytics and the options that does not possess (attacks - worms attacks, whenever it was added as favorite blog, band use on server), and which provide information on (http://awstats.sourceforge.net/):

Number of visits, and number of unique visitors;

Visits duration and last visits;

Authenticated users, and last authenticated visits;

Days of week and rush hours (pages, hits, KB for each hour and day of week);

Domains/countries of hosts visitors (pages, hits, KB, 269 domains/countries detected, GeoIp detection);

Hosts list, last visits and unresolved IP addresses list;

Most viewed, entry and exit pages;

Files type;

Web compression statistics (for mod_gzip or mod_deflate);

OS used (pages, hits, KB for each OS, 35 OS detected);

Browsers used (pages, hits, KB for each browser, each version (Web, Wap, Media browsers: 97 browsers, more than 450 if using browsers_phone.pm library file);

Visits of robots (319 robots detected);

Worms attacks (5 worm’s families);

Search engines, key phrases and keywords used to find your site (The 115 most famous search engines are detected like yahoo, google, altavista, etc…);

HTTP errors (Page Not Found with last referrer, …);

Other personalized reports based on Url, Url parameters, referrer field for miscellaneous/marketing purpose;

Number of times your site is "added to favorites bookmarks";

Screen size (need to add some HTML tags in index page);

Ratio of Browsers with support of: Java, Flash, RealG2 reader, QuickTime reader, WMA reader, PDF reader (need to add some HTML tags in index page);

Cluster report for load balanced server’s ratio.

2. Digital Point Keyword Tracker (to track the evolution of a keyword) is based on the use of keywords, to be optimized. In circumstances where changes are made in SEO, automatically, can find out the changes, respectively if you climbed or descended.

3. Crazy Egg Heat Maps (from where come your visitors), provide dynamic maps with on the map position of each visitor of the site. This tool is particularly useful for optimizing of certain advertisements, in order to obtain a high conversion rate, or to see exactly what parts from your site are used by visitors, offering a perspective on what should be, and what should not also contain site.

4. Keyword Discovery - tool for keyword research (search of keyword suitable), it is necessary to determine keywords, since when choosing a domain name and then, add others to changes in site, for to attract more traffic.

5. 7Search Keyword Suggestion Tool - can be used as a tool for keyword research, but also, can be used to see, which are the best paid keywords which should choose when you do SEO for a particular site.

6. SubmitExpress Link Popularity - monitoring tool of backlinks is a simple tool that gives information about the number of backlinks, can see how many links are in the most important search engines. Facility on this tool, is that can be introduced three sites and can be compared their results.

7. BacklinkWatch Backlink Monitor - monitoring instrument thorough of backlinks, resembles with SubmitExpress, except that it monitors and displays more detailed results on backlinks, specifying exactly how many backlinks are there and where are, the anchor text for each backlink, or when the link has or no, the nofollow attribute.

8. StumbleUpon - promotion is a social bookmarking toolbar for Firefox and IE, which includes more than 100 categories in which one can post, may enroll the website in a certain category, and if people will like it, they can click on the "I like it". With as there are many users who like the site, will be with both more visits.

9. XML Sitemap Generator - generate map of the site, is one of the best generators.

10. SiteScore - the complete analysis of a site, draw up a report specifying the everything about its website, from how easy it is to load as many backlinks you have, what errors are displayed on this site, details of SEO, details about code, that will be the basis of analysis for any changes to the site.

5. Case Study - Optimizing a wine shop

To illustrate how to optimize a website, I made a wine shop, where we implemented a system of recommendation and customer loyalty through a system that directs customers to choose the right wine based on selection of one the following criteria: occasion, dish, region and producer. It also, the store has an integrated loyalty system, which provides discounts based on order value performed, and based on credits earned by the customer from orders made, they can be used as payment for future orders. The objective of this mechanism is to stimulate sales by encouraging customers to return with new orders.

Another aspect followed in this paper was to optimize the wine shop, that we approached it from two points of view:

 designing a database whose structure we optimized her using normalization technique;

 website indexing by search engines. To increase the number of visitors of the website, it was decided to implement the SEO technologies for the most important search engines.

To achieve these objectives we used PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, CSS and Adobe Photoshop. With these techniques, the online store which we have developed it, meets all the characteristics of a modern e-commerce web applications, optimized to attract a large number of clients.

5.1. Web Technologies used in application development

In achieving the virtual shop I used as technologies: the web programming language and open source server-side, PHP, the system of management of the relational database, open-source MySQL, for the implementation database, the object-oriented programming language, JavaScript, the language for style sheets, CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) to describe the presentation semantics (the look and formatting) and the software graphics editing Adobe Photoshop, to create a graphical layout of the site and then "slicing" of graphics for further use in the application development.

a. PHP

PHP has versions available for most web servers and for all operating systems (http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/PHP). It is mainly focused on the server-side scripting, and can be done any CGI program (collection the data of the form, generate dynamic page content, or send and receive of the cookies), however, and scripting in the command line (can run without server and web browser, using only PHP parser), and even the writing of the desktop applications (using some PHP-GTK facilities).

The popularity enjoyed by PHP, is due to the following features: familiarity (has a very easy syntax), simplicity, efficiency (uses resource allocation mechanisms, especially useful the multi-user environment - web), security (the programmer has a flexible and effective set of safety measures), flexibility (language can adapt to the development of various technologies, which can be integrated for the multiple existing web servers ) free (the characteristic which led to rapid adaptation of PHP at the web requirements leading to increased efficiency and security of code).

The most significant features of the PHP resulting from support for a wide domain of the databases and the ability to connect complex data between virtually all Web programming languages, support for instantiation of Java objects and using them transparently as PHP objects. For this reason, this language is used in case of large projects, such as creating a virtual store. I used PHP because they provide dynamism in addition to HTML and extract data from the database.

b. JavaScript

JavaScript is an object oriented programming language based on the concept of prototypes (http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/JavaScript). Generally, it is used especially for introducing some functionality to web pages, JavaScript code on these pages are run by the browser. The language is best known for its use in building web sites, but is also used to access the encapsulated objects (embedded objects) in other applications. The most common use of JavaScript is in scripting of the web pages. Web developers can embed in HTML pages the scripts for various activities such as checking of user input data or creating animated menus and other effects.

Web pages are retained in memory by the browser as a tree of objects, which them available of JavaScript scripts in order to read and manipulate.

JavaScript allows us to control the behavior of the navigation program by opening new windows, displaying of the warning messages and putting of the messages in the status bar of your browser window, items commonly used in carrying online store.

Because, JavaScript can run locally in browser of user (not on the server), the browser can respond more quickly to user requests, thus, the site becomes faster. Furthermore, JavaScript code, allow to detect user actions which HTML itself can not detect, such as pressing a specific key. Applications like Gmail exploit this advantage, much of the user interface logic is written in JavaScript.

c. MySQL

The store that we created him, involves using a database that we made ​​it using management system relational database MySQL, the most popular solution open-source, a key component of the LAMP stack / WAMP.

MySQL is a specialized language for relational database management on the Internet, based on SQL, which manages the database that are on a server that can be exploited through PHP, but also with other languages ​​(eg Java ). Its popularity as a web application is closely related to that of PHP which is often combined with MySQL and called the Dynamic Duo.

The reason I chose MySQL refers to the possibilities of optimization of database, both in terms of structure and query level and facility to generate massive database insertions. The virtual shop was designed starting from the wine recommendation system which is the most important element of the store, one that gives its uniqueness. Thus was designed, created and normalized database, contains 16 tables with appropriate links, given of the entity-relationship diagram (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Enhanced Entity-Relationship Diagram (EERD) - Diagram of the database structure implemented to the wine shop

d. Language CSS

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is a language for style sheets that we used to describe the presentation semantics (the look and formatting) of a document written in a markup language. Is most often used with HTML or XHTML, but can be applied to any XML document, SVG and XUL.

The language was designed primarily to enable the separation of document content (written in HTML or another markup language) by the presentation elements such as location, colors, fonts. This separation can improve content accessibility, can provide more control and flexibility in the specification of presentation characteristics, enable as the multiple pages to share the same formatting and to reduce complexity and repetition in the structure of the content.

Also, the CSS allows as the same page written in a markup language is presented in various graphic styles for different rendering methods specific devices or terminals used by customers.

Regarding web solution that we have developed, CSS has been widely used because of the multitude of styles present, which meant that their grouping to be essential for improving the appearance of the web page, but for ease of designing it.

Adobe's Photoshop

Is a graphics editing software developed and published by Adobe Systems Incorporated that provides a series of facilities graphics processing: layers with masks, color spaces, ICC profiles, transparency, text, alpha channels and spot color, cutting ways and duotone settings? Due to of the popularity suite Adobe applications, these formats for image files are widespread in use and are permitted to work in most competing sites.

Photoshop is a image editor, based on the pixels, which since the CS4 version, can work with 3D models providing: direct staining of the patterns, donning models in 2D images, converting the maps of colors for to clothe the 3D objects and adding of shadow effects and depth for the text.

One of the most important aspects of Adobe Photoshop suite that we exploited in our store constitutes the possibility to make web pages by creating a graphical layout of the site and then "slicing" graphic elements for further use in the developing application.

The application was developed using the web technologies on an architecture three tier, divided into three logical segments:

- Client tier (front-end client) represented by graphical user interface, developed using technologies: CSS, Adobe, JavaScript;

- Application tier: including business rules, logic and system functions, programs that ensure transfer of data from servers at database (developed in PHP)

- Database tier that ensures the management of the data application that includes the MySQL server.

Application interface was designed based on a hierarchical structure of the site, implemented on three levels.

5.2. Presentation the Online Shop

The goal that we have proposed in this work is to develop an online store, which activity is the promotion and sale of wines produced in France. The store is mainly addressed to clients who want to buy wines produced in France, one of the largest and most recognized manufacturers in this field.

The application respect the characteristics of a regular shop, but also offers two facilities aimed at guiding clients in choosing wine and stimulate their loyalty.

First, one of the advantages of online store, that we have developed, is the possibility to choose the wine by the customer according to certain criteria: occasion, dish, region and producer. In this way, at the selection of one of these criteria, the potential client will receive a recommendation of the range and type of the wine that best suits their needs. Also, from the wine list displayed according to the selected criteria, the customer has the option to view more details about the choose wines and the opportunity to purchase them.

Secondly, in this shop we integrated a customer loyalty system. This is achieved through loans made ​​depending on order value, thus at each command of the customer receives a number of credits equal with the order value divided by 100. Credits thus obtained can be used as payment of some future orders, thing which stimulates sales and encourage customers to revisit store.

Besides these two facilities, offered by this application, the visitor has the opportunity to learn more information about wine regions in France, the best years for different types of wines, grape varieties, wine classes and productions and events related this domain such as tasting, wine fairs and exhibitions.

Another important aspect that we have envisaged in the development was to optimize the store, that we made ​​it in two steps:

- Database optimization through normalization, reducing data redundancy and eliminating the update anomalies;

- Search engine optimization.

Search engine optimization we performed using SEO, aiming to retrieve the store among the top results in a search a potential customers. The advantage of this type of optimization is that it need only be performed once and the results are visible after about three months, so visiting the store will be transformed from a random process in one the quantifiable.

In terms of appearance and the content of the virtual shop, it highlights user friendly interface that provides ease of finding desired wines with help of the integrated referral system and a variety of payment methods. Visitors of the store have the opportunity to find out a lot of information on the origin, characteristics, production wines that will order them, so that be sure that they will take proper decision in this regard. The advantage is that the potential customer will not have to document themselves on the variety of specialized sites on the wine they serve, because all the information he needs will be available the store.

Functional architecture of the application is described through the menu system implemented:

 Home: The home page of the shop contains information about the application and events from the world of wine;

 How to buy: payment methods that is available to customers;

 Connoisseurs: events, tasting and wine fairs, opinions of experts;

 Wines: list of wines that can be purchased and their price;

 Contact: contact form and contacts, email addresses and telephone numbers of them;

 Search: search function by the name their wines;

 What wine should you serve? (wine recommendation system);

- Occasion: wine recommendation according to the occasion;

- Region: wine recommendation by the region;

- Foods: the wine recommendation according to the chosen dish;

- Manufacturer: wine recommendation according to the manufacturer.

 From the ground at grapes: the information about the regions and varieties of grape;

 From grapes to wine: information about the categories and the wine production;

 From wine to the bottle: information about wine classification in France and of finding payment ways.

If the visitor decides to purchase a wine, this must simply make an account and to appeal one of four methods of payment available: payment on delivery (mail or courier), online payment using PayPal, the order payment by bank transfer or payment with credits obtained from previous orders.

7. Conclusions

The application performed represents a solution design proposal and implementation of an e-commerce web modern application that provides a new perspective on the Information Society.

Goal of the paper is to achieve a virtual store for the promotion and marketing of wines originating in France, while also offering referral facilities and allows customer loyalty.

We conducted a modern of the web e-commerce full, which presents two facilities by support for the customer (recommendation system and fidelity system) to which are added optimization (the SEO technology for the search engine and database normalization). In interface design for the web page we considered arrangement of the key elements: logo, menu, how the page is displayed on the screen surface, the quality of images and the graphics processing. Also, the store design is intuitive, user-friendly and look "vintage" is pleasant, leading visitors into the world of wine.

To expand and improve the application in the future, we plan to introduce new facilities in order to increase its performance, and placing the store in the best possible position in the profile market. Of these improvements include:

 introducing a voting system wines and subscribe to news (newsletter)

 expanding geographical origin of products,

 creation of the specialist sections ("Oenology service"),

 inserting advertisements on profile sites, blogs and social networks.

In conclusion, we believe that we brought the virtual store to a form that respect features for e-commerce web applications and can be implemented with satisfactory economic results.