There’s no question about it: e-commerce is sweeping the globe. As much as we might like to wax lyrical about our favorite mom and pop brick and mortar shop, the fact is they are quickly going the way of the dinosaurs.
There are multiple benefits that e-commerce brings to both buyers and sellers, as well as society as a whole. Let’s take a look at several of them.
Convenience
The most obvious benefit of being able to buy things online is that you don’t have to go anywhere. Consumers can sit in the comfort of their own homes and shop at ease without having to get in the car, sit in traffic, or stand in long lines.
For vendors, they can also work from a remote site. In addition, they can save costs on what would otherwise be large payments on rent, utilities, paying staff members, etc. There is much less risk involved in running an operation because vendors don’t put as much on the line to start their business. And as e-commerce apps are developing, they are becoming more and more refined. There have been big developments in ecommerce UX/UI design recently as vendors know that ease of use will make a big difference on their customer base.
Environmental benefits
Another advantage of e-commerce for society is that there is less pollution than with traditional stores. The environmental problems caused by traditional stores come from many different sources. The energy used to power them is often great. In addition, people have to drive to get there, which also contributes to the problem.
With e-commerce, all vendors need is a warehouse to store their goods that will eventually be shipped. Although the logistics of getting things places also requires fuel, it is a lot less than having every consumer drive to the store every time they need to buy something.
Freedom to shop at any time
With e-commerce, people can go online any time they want, 24 hours a day, and make their purchases. No more stressing out about getting to the store on time; you can simply go online and make your purchase.
Furthermore, you can be sure of what is really available. We’ve all had the experience of driving all the way to the store only to find that your favorite item was just sold. Well, with e-commerce, you get all this information upfront as soon as you open the website.
Increased entrepreneurship
Because it is so easy and comparatively cheap to get involved in e-commerce, more and more people are getting involved, and they’re doing it in more and more creative ways. If you have a specialty item that you’ve been wanting to try selling but you’ve hesitated about because you’re not sure how it will sell, you can give online selling a try and see how it goes.
And not only are new products being sold. There’s also a huge market for online services now. People are selling consultative services through websites. They’re selling online fitness sessions. They’re providing healthcare advice. Pretrial much anything that people see a potential market for, they’re selling. And some efforts are more successful than others, but the larger movement is growing, encouraging people to try new things, and ultimately becoming refined as it grows.
It will only get better
Brick and mortar stores aren’t going away completely. There are still some things that people need physical shops for. If you want to buy a wedding dress, you will likely want to go to a formal bridal shop, try out several models, and have the one you choose fitted for you. There will also continue to be a certain number of produce markets and butchers as people want to see the perishables they buy up close and make sure that they are in good condition. These are things that cannot change regardless of how technologically advanced we become as a society.
But the fact is, traditional shops are losing appeal. They are simply too inconvenient, costly, environmentally damaging, and simply unnecessary to continue in many cases. Once the world starts moving in the direction of speed and efficiency, it is hard to turn back.
