E-commerce is a rapidly booming industry. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a considerable surge in E-commerce activity worldwide.E-commerce offers convenience to its end users, which is why items previously sold by brick-and-mortar businesses, like groceries, are now bought online.
This rapid growth is not seen as a short-term surge but rather has long-term effects as consumers are more comfortable relying on online marketplaces to fulfill their needs. Covid-19 was just the vehicle that pushed customers toward shopping online.
Here is a list of the top 5 benefits that E-commerce provides to its customers!
- Convenience
One thing to count on when it comes to E-commerce is convenience. Placing an order from the comfort of your home and having it arrive at your doorstep has got to be one of the best things about the 21st century; no matter if the place you’re shopping from is nearby or in another country, you can get anything shipped. However, with a traditional shopping experience, there are many challenges, like taking time out of your busy schedule, driving to a store, browsing through, and shopping for your needs. A few reasons why people increasingly prefer E-commerce now are: ease of use, time saved, easy payments, and convenience.
Everything is available at your fingertips, from a mobility scooter store to a cleaning service hire, say the word, and you can get it on the internet at your convenience.
- Available 24-hours
Stores close but websites don’t. No matter what time, you can always log onto a website, shop for the things you want, and have them delivered to your doorstep the next day. From car parts to medicine, there is nothing that you can’t order online. You can shop from anywhere; no more waiting for your day off or break to go and buy the things you need. Online stores also reduce the burden on retailers to hire sales staff for their stores. E-commerce offers easy access to find what you’re looking for and checkout in less than 10 minutes.
- Variety of Products
E-commerce is global; it is not confined to locality or physical stores. Hence, you will be able to find every brand, product, and variety in those products. You can buy electronics from China, clothes from England, books from France and shows from Italy all while sitting at home. The wide variety of products available online is unmatched. You will get good quality and bad quality, original products, and copies, all to your preference and budget.
Tip: not all marketplaces may deliver to the US; in such a case, you can easily find suppliers online that get those products shipped to the US.
- Competitive Prices
E-commerce is the prime way to go now; with everything available online, even high-end brands have become more aware of their competition. With high competition comes competitive prices to attract customers. You can always find a cheap alternative to what you want on the internet; many websites help you compare products such as electronics side by side to see which seller offers the best price for the same product. The internet is a place of utmost price sensitivity. Due to the ease of checking different marketplaces, retailers must be careful of even the slightest difference in the prices of their products, ultimately benefiting the consumers. You get the most efficient prices for products according to your needs. There are countless discounts and promotions online every other day, such as Black Friday, Mother’s Day, Christmas sales, etc.
- Information Available
The good thing about the internet is your ability to research a product/service before you buy it. Since you can’t see the physical product at hand, you need to gather all information related to the product, which is often more than what is available at a physical store. You can compare products, and learn about the materials used, how it was manufactured, and what previous buyers have to say about them. In addition, most platforms will even suggest products to complement your purchase. You can compare descriptions of every product before you make a decision. This allows you to make a better well-thought-out decision as compared to traditional retail, where you have to speed things up due to other people waiting in line, not ask too many questions out of courtesy, or go all the way up to a store to find the item you want to get is out of stock. When shopping online, you can reach out to a support helpline or chatbot to check if the items you want are in stock.
- 6. Convenient for people with disabilities
One significant change that the advance in E-commerce has allowed is the ease it provides for people with either physical or mental disabilities. Ever had a panic attack in the middle of a supermarket? Not ideal. People with anxiety, autism, and other issues have long mentioned how easy and better it is to shop online than to go to a physical retailer. Similarly, people with physical disabilities who had to rely on others to shop for them or take them to a store can now easily get their shopping delivered without much effort. In addition, you don’t ever have to worry about taking time out for groceries now that groceries can be delivered to you in mere minutes.
Conclusion
E-commerce has significantly grown and will continue to grow for many years. Most experts predict traditional retail going down considerably in the next decade. E-commerce has allowed people to start businesses in their preferred markets and make a living, with consumers enjoying more personalized products and services. However, E-commerce has many cons, such as product quality issues, scams, and disputes. Therefore, you should be careful when shopping online, especially when paying through a credit or debit card. The best action plan here is to only buy from trusted sellers and marketplaces with safety measures in place. With all that said, the benefits e-commerce offers far outweigh the disadvantages.
Top Six Benefits of E-commerce for Consumers
E-commerce is a rapidly booming industry. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a considerable surge in E-commerce activity worldwide.E-commerce offers convenience to its end users, which is why items previously sold by brick-and-mortar businesses, like groceries, are now bought online.
This rapid growth is not seen as a short-term surge but rather has long-term effects as consumers are more comfortable relying on online marketplaces to fulfill their needs. Covid-19 was just the vehicle that pushed customers toward shopping online.
Here is a list of the top 5 benefits that E-commerce provides to its customers!
- Convenience
One thing to count on when it comes to E-commerce is convenience. Placing an order from the comfort of your home and having it arrive at your doorstep has got to be one of the best things about the 21st century; no matter if the place you’re shopping from is nearby or in another country, you can get anything shipped. However, with a traditional shopping experience, there are many challenges, like taking time out of your busy schedule, driving to a store, browsing through, and shopping for your needs. A few reasons why people increasingly prefer E-commerce now are: ease of use, time saved, easy payments, and convenience.
Everything is available at your fingertips, from a mobility scooter store to a cleaning service hire, say the word, and you can get it on the internet at your convenience.
- Available 24-hours
Stores close but websites don’t. No matter what time, you can always log onto a website, shop for the things you want, and have them delivered to your doorstep the next day. From car parts to medicine, there is nothing that you can’t order online. You can shop from anywhere; no more waiting for your day off or break to go and buy the things you need. Online stores also reduce the burden on retailers to hire sales staff for their stores. E-commerce offers easy access to find what you’re looking for and checkout in less than 10 minutes.
- Variety of Products
E-commerce is global; it is not confined to locality or physical stores. Hence, you will be able to find every brand, product, and variety in those products. You can buy electronics from China, clothes from England, books from France and shows from Italy all while sitting at home. The wide variety of products available online is unmatched. You will get good quality and bad quality, original products, and copies, all to your preference and budget.
Tip: not all marketplaces may deliver to the US; in such a case, you can easily find suppliers online that get those products shipped to the US.
- Competitive Prices
E-commerce is the prime way to go now; with everything available online, even high-end brands have become more aware of their competition. With high competition comes competitive prices to attract customers. You can always find a cheap alternative to what you want on the internet; many websites help you compare products such as electronics side by side to see which seller offers the best price for the same product. The internet is a place of utmost price sensitivity. Due to the ease of checking different marketplaces, retailers must be careful of even the slightest difference in the prices of their products, ultimately benefiting the consumers. You get the most efficient prices for products according to your needs. There are countless discounts and promotions online every other day, such as Black Friday, Mother’s Day, Christmas sales, etc.
- Information Available
The good thing about the internet is your ability to research a product/service before you buy it. Since you can’t see the physical product at hand, you need to gather all information related to the product, which is often more than what is available at a physical store. You can compare products, and learn about the materials used, how it was manufactured, and what previous buyers have to say about them. In addition, most platforms will even suggest products to complement your purchase. You can compare descriptions of every product before you make a decision. This allows you to make a better well-thought-out decision as compared to traditional retail, where you have to speed things up due to other people waiting in line, not ask too many questions out of courtesy, or go all the way up to a store to find the item you want to get is out of stock. When shopping online, you can reach out to a support helpline or chatbot to check if the items you want are in stock.
- 6. Convenient for people with disabilities
One significant change that the advance in E-commerce has allowed is the ease it provides for people with either physical or mental disabilities. Ever had a panic attack in the middle of a supermarket? Not ideal. People with anxiety, autism, and other issues have long mentioned how easy and better it is to shop online than to go to a physical retailer. Similarly, people with physical disabilities who had to rely on others to shop for them or take them to a store can now easily get their shopping delivered without much effort. In addition, you don’t ever have to worry about taking time out for groceries now that groceries can be delivered to you in mere minutes.
Conclusion
E-commerce has significantly grown and will continue to grow for many years. Most experts predict traditional retail going down considerably in the next decade. E-commerce has allowed people to start businesses in their preferred markets and make a living, with consumers enjoying more personalized products and services. However, E-commerce has many cons, such as product quality issues, scams, and disputes. Therefore, you should be careful when shopping online, especially when paying through a credit or debit card. The best action plan here is to only buy from trusted sellers and marketplaces with safety measures in place. With all that said, the benefits e-commerce offers far outweigh the disadvantages.
Another way e-commerce benefits consumers is the ability to easily return items you order. For e-commerce businesses however, this increase in returns can cause some serious issues if you are not well-equipped to handle them. Please see the resource below for more information.