Online Clothing Customization System

In our daily lives, technology is useful and important because technology helps us to make our life easier and be more effective in what we do. One of the threads about technology is the Internet. The Internet is very useful nowadays, it gives us the information we need by just browsing and searching the information we need that will help our lives to become more knowledgeable about the things we do not know. The Internet changed the life of many people, they become successful and more successful because of this technology. Most of the companies are using the internet for advertising services, online selling of products and other transactions that may help them to be more effective and promote their businesses.

Internet electronic commerce or e-commerce refers to economic activity that occurs online. E-commerce includes all types of business activity, such as retail, shopping, banking, investing and rentals and much more. The scope of e-commerce is to transact online. Transaction through online can either be on products or services. Most of us are aware of buying products online through some sites like Amazon or Lazada.com.

Kularts Enterprise is located at Cut-Cut First, Tarlac City. Kularts Enterprise is a creative company that offers different printing services and sell customized products like t-shirts, jackets and more. It has two different branches located in Tarlac. Although the company has a physical store, they lack an online website where clients can visit anytime and know more about them, also to allow prospective customers to create and customize their own shirt to order using the website.

With this, the researchers came up with the idea to develop an E-commerce system entitled: “Online Clothing Customization System for Kularts Enterprise” to cater and improved the company’s quality of service to its customer furthermore. The proposed system will be capable of showcasing the company’s products as well as customization, ordering and purchasing online for convenience. This will greatly improve the company’s quality of service to its customer. It will serve as a bridge between the customer and the management.

II. PROJECT CONTEXT

Kularts Enterprise is currently using a manual process when handling its customer. To inquire about a specific service or product, the customer needs to go to its shop, physically and discuss the things related or needed for the project to be produced. Payment is also done manually by the customer. Viewing of service and products online is not present also. This kind of processes takes up an extensive effort for both the customer and the management. The ability to customize and order online for the customer to the company is not present also.
With the problems stated above, the researchers have decided to develop an “Online Clothing Customization System for Kularts Enterprise” to cope up with these problems.

III. PURPOSE AND DESCRIPTION

The purpose of this proposed system is to create an E-commerce system for Kularts Enterprise with customization of design function for ordering t-shirts. The proposed system will replace the traditional way of selling products in order to cope up the ever-changing world of technology. It is to provide information to current and prospective clients, to promote the sample works and services offered by the company. The proposed system will act as the customer’s complete brochure and will provide information about the establishment and products to all those who want to know. The proposed system will increase the customer service quality of the company. It is also to allow its current and future customers to customize their desired t-shirt designed using the system. The proposed system will allow customers to order and also settle their payments online using different secured payment options like credit card, debit card, and PayPal.

IV. STATEMENT OF THE OBJECTIVES

The general objective of this project is to design and develop a system that will ease the manual process of the company to an automated process. The proposed system entitled: “Online Clothing Customization System for Kularts Enterprise” which the study targets to achieve the following:
To design and develop an Online Clothing Customization System for Kularts Enterprise.
Modules:
Module for Administrator
Manage Accounts
Manage Design Templates
Manage Products
View Audit Trails
Module for Employee
Add / Edit and Delete posted items and payment transactions
Generate Reports
Module for Customer
Customize Products
Order Products
Create Account
Payment
To be evaluated by the following:
Administrator’s / Customers’ Evaluation
Ease of use
Graphical user interface
IT Expert’s Evaluation
Functionality
Database design
Security

V. SCOPE AND LIMITATION

The proposed system that will develop is a website for Kularts Enterprise. The system has three types of user privileges, first is the administrator who is authorized to manage all the functions of the system. The administrator will able to manage the products, viewing audit trails and managing design templates of the system that is stored in the database. Second is the authorized employee who will perform the following task when the administrator is not around. But the authorized employee will not have the whole access of the system, the authorized employee can just perform specific functions like adding, editing and deleting product items, product price, product descriptions, and payment transactions, and also generating reports for record purposes. The third is the customer who will view, order and buy products. The customer can design and customized products, create accounts and payment online. Since the system is specifically will be for customization of design for clothes online, the system doesn’t work without internet connection. Delivery of the product that has been ordered by the customer is only within the country.

VI. RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

Foreign Literature

According to Neilson (1999), concluded that the main reasons why people buy on the Internet because of its convenience and ease of use and the 2nd reason are when selecting products and its pricing. Characteristics like the design and usability of a website and determined whether a purchase would be made. A statistic that says 5% is the time shoppers consumed in visiting the site while the 95% goes to product research, comparison shopping and other “none buying tasks”

This system is similar in the researcher’s concept regarding the design, usability, convenience, and ease of use of the website that has a big impact when it comes to the advertising and sales of the products.

According to Emerald Group Publishing Limited Online (2014), they observed that this recent year, people were more attracted in retailing due to its great potential and significant implications for buyers and sellers. It adopts the study about Stimulus-organism-response (SOR) framework, it is a study that examines how consumer’s reasons for shopping and website has stimuli affect regarding their attitudes.
[3] According to Bursleson (2005) and Geissler (2001), websites are simple and focused on succeeding. It is easy to build, maintenance-free, customer converter, powerful traffic-builder, low-cost and more importantly trustworthy. Being a successful website does not depend on tools or the products alone, it must be designed with the consideration of who will use the website, the audience. Considerations and capabilities of the websites must balance according to the client or consumers understanding in modern technology.

Local Literature

According to a freshman (1999), in this world technology, computer software is becoming more important as time goes by. Nowadays, computers are everywhere, without this, it will make the society hard to operate especially companies. He said: “no one in the 1995’s had predicted that software would become the undependable technology of business, science, and engineering and enable new technologies,” the driving force behind the personal computer revolution”, by changing from library research to student learning habits up to the young brought about. The cited literature above makes the researcher believe that the use of computers and internet will change the transaction of the business of Kularts Enterprise.

According to Grace C. Fabros Et al, a business that uses computerized system make them exceptional. Fatigue is one of the reasons for not maintaining the business activities, by the use of the computerized system, they are capable of operating under the most adverse conditions for extended period of time. It improves also the efficiency of organizations and will surely determine the integrity of the business does ensure data protection.

According to Lee (2006), the ability to reduce transaction costs is one of the benefits of e-commerce can have. Just like, lowering search costs and better information on products and prices that almost all of the consumers or buyers want. It will save a lot in production and delivery costs of electronic or digital goods as well.

Foreign Study

According to Oliver-Betts-Mayer (1999-2001-2002), they have studied that there was a vast amount of people window shopping online but they were few regular buyers. It might be the lack of intentions to purchase or because of problems that occur while customers go online shopping that affects the customer to continue what they’re doing. Therefore, according to Berthon (1996), to identify the reasons behind the purchase reluctance of consumer or why people abandon their shopping carts and stop purchasing, before attempting an online shop they need to understand how surfers become not only interactors but a purchaser too. Finally, making them into a continuous interaction with this kind of environment.

As a conclusion, there are some issues that will arise if the system is not fully tested but in relation to this, the researcher’s proposed system has the capability or ability to address this kind of issues. According to The KNP Report on the Internet User (Research 1999) published by research, determined that satisfaction with the website is based on information quantity, design, transmission speed, user-friendliness of search structure and updates. Websites characteristics are more likely to influence the consumer information to search the internet.
In relation to this, the researcher’s developed system assures that the system has a simple and user-friendly interface that meets the expectations of the customers.

According to Anderson-Connell et al (2002) stated that 21st-century consumers were more inclined to traditional retail for shopping alternatives and customized products. It affects the consumer’s integration at the beginning of the value chain that aims at satisfying their demands, providing a sustainable competitive advantage for retailers.

In our society today online garments offer not only a high level of interactivity but also hassle-free, time-saving pre-purchase. This system is similar to the researcher’s proposal regarding the high-level interactivity, hassle-free, and time-saving processes.

Local Study

According to Fredriksson (2013); Fleenor and Raven (2002) a study about E-commerce in Manila, consumers have a hard time trusting online transactions because of issues regarding brand recognition, e-payment solutions, and delivery. To solve these issues, having digital signatures and some authentication procedures to be offered by the E-commerce producers thus ensuring protection and privacy of personal data of users.

This system is similar to the researcher’s proposal regarding security and data protection to build the trust of the customers.
According to the Philippine Digital Strategy Transformation 2.0: Digital Empowered Nation (2011), it says that Information and communication technology (ICT) has become an integral part of every Filipino in all levels of society. Using technology for communication around the world is important to government, it helps in getting a cohesive and coordinated strategy to prepare its people or citizens to survive in this fast-evolving technology. This reminds us that we need to become a competitive society where everyone has a reliable, affordable and secure information access in the Philippines.

The above-study, emphasize that we need to evolve, not being satisfied with manual-based operations. Changing to the automated or computerized system is a step for us to belong in this evolving world of full of technologies. According to Joseph R. Mendoza (1992), one of his sayings that computers and the computer application are important for any company attempting to improve or evolve its efficiency in their workplace. With this, the company’s daily operation will improve the efficiency of their business.

Just like the researcher’s purpose for the proposed system for the Kularts Enterprise, incorporating a website for the company so that customers or clients can access their products with ease and also helping the business operate efficiently.

VII. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

LOCAL
What is Kularts?
How many employees?
Organizational chart?

SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT METHODOLOGY

Requirements Modeling
Control

The researchers will design and develop an online clothing customization system for Kularts Enterprise. The system can be accessed by the administrator, authorized employee and customer. Each user is assigned with different privilege levels as stated below:
Administrator’s account – The administrator will able to manage the products, viewing audit trails and managing design templates of the system that is stored in the database.

Employee’s account – The authorized employee can just perform specific functions like adding, editing and deleting product items, product prices, product descriptions, and payment transactions, and also generating reports for record purposes.
Customer’s account – The customer will view, order and buy products. A customer can design and customized products, create accounts and payment online.

Program Environment

The researchers will program the proposed system in a <programming languages> The design, coding, testing and debugging will be solely done in this environment.

Program Specification

The program specification of the proposed system will be based on the backlogs of the locale and the methodology that will be used to develop the study. The Agile-Scrum Methodology will be used for all the requirements as well as for the functionality of the system regarding the backlog of the study.

Methods of Gathering Data

The gathering of information that is related to the development of the study which will guide the researchers to be on track. The researchers used different kinds of research method like internet, library, observation, interview, e-sourcing, questionnaire and consultation.

The instrument for Data Gathering

The following methods for gathering data are considered to be important in obtaining necessary information for the progress of the development of the research under the study.
Internet
Library
Observation
Interview
E-sourcing
Questionnaire
Consultation
The Agile Scrum methodology is an interactive and incremental Agile Software Development methodology for managing product development. It defines a flexible, holistic product development strategy where a development team works as a unit to reach a common goal, challenges assumptions of the “traditional, sequential approach” to product development, and enables the teams to self-organize by encouraging physical co-location or close online collaboration of all team members, as well as daily face-to-face communication among all team members and disciplines in the project.

The researchers will use the Scrum Methodology for the planning, testing and development phase of the study. This methodology consisted of different phases. First is the planning, wherein the researchers conducted an interview on their chosen locale. Second is the product backlog, wherein the researchers and the locale agreed for the features and functions of the study. The third is the sprint backlog, wherein the researchers had prioritized based on the product backlog that has established. The researchers also conducted the testing for every sprint that had been finished for them to get feedback from the locale and regularly conducting a daily scrum for every meeting to discuss and to inform the updates on the system.

The researchers used this methodology because it is simple and easy to understand. The project may be recycled back to repeat previous stages in order to modify and improve the results of an activity. The Scrum Agile methodology excels on urgent projects that are critical to an organization. Scrum shortens the feedback loop between customer and developer, and between the wish list and implementation. The researchers chose this methodology to easily adapt to changes, be able to work side by side with end users and to make necessary corrections and adjustments quickly when certain requirements are altered.

PROJECT SCHEDULE
SAMPLING TECHNIQUE AND POPULATION
STATISTICAL TREATMENT

The researchers provided an evaluation form for the admin, employees and three IT experts to give their assessment on the developed system. All the information obtained from the respondents through the use of evaluation forms have been processed manually to determine if the results were accurate. The researchers used tables to organize, analyze and summarize the data and information to determine the differences from each evaluation. The proper statistical treatment to be used has been determined based on the system evaluation.
The weighted mean was used to determine the evaluation of each data points. Instead of each data point contributing equally to the final mean, these were assigned specific percentages of contribution to the “weight” to obtain a more effective result. The researchers used the Likert’s scale to translate the numerical evaluation to verbal description.

TABLE
Likert’s Scale
Rating Scale Verbal Description
5 4.5 – 5.0 Strongly Agree
4 3.5 – 4.49 Agree
3 2.5 – 3.49 Undecided
2 1.5 – 2.49 Poor
1 1.0 – 1.49 Very Poor
The table above shows calculating the weighted mean of the tabulated data, the formula is
Where:
4448432775100X = Weighted mean
F = Frequency of occurrence for the particular field
x = Number of units
n = Total number of respondent