You could say that we are living in a digital world and e-commerce has grown from a tiny sliver of the market to the number one retail platform in less than a decade. Digital tech is constantly improving and with top cyber-security and consumer insurance, buying products online is safe; in the early days, the consumer was wary of giving out their financial details on the web, yet public trust is now at a high level.
The many benefits of online shopping
The list is indeed long and includes:
- Shop at your own pace
- Easy to compare prices and products
- Lower than usual prices
- Free delivery
- Buy now-pay later schemes
- No travel costs
- Fast and secure
Google is the number one search engine that helps millions of online consumers source products and services, while the adult shop has gone digital, which means those sex toys are discreetly packaged.
The pandemic
The global Covid pandemic saw multiple lockdowns, which had a serious impact on the world’s economy, especially the retail sector; at the same time, many consumers were forced to shop online and as you would expect, they had positive experiences and therefore continued to shop online for most things. Some experts say as much as 40% of global consumers were converted to online solutions during the pandemic; this was inevitable, and even without the pandemic, e-commerce would have continued to grow exponentially.
The changing face of retail
The rise of e-commerce does not spell the end for traditional retail, rather it causes changes; certain sectors like food & beverage will always have a market share, yet retail is morphing into something unknown. Take a stroll around your nearest shopping mall and take note of the kind of stores, which is a reflection of people’s tastes and preferences. Beauty salons and well-being spas are always going to be popular, while opticians and weight loss clinics are doing well.
Huge logistics industry
With millions of consumers ordering products online, there needs to be a massive logistics sector to support this amount of business. Enter 3rd party logistics, or 3PL as it is known; warehouses with state-of-the-art automation for picking and packing and with same-day delivery, order fulfilment is handled by professionals. The online store sends their products and packaging to the 3PL warehouse, then forward all orders via email and the logistics company does the rest.
The future
What does the future look like for e-commerce? Drone deliveries are already being used in some parts of the world; a large truck has 6 large drones and when loaded and programmed, the roof slides back and the drones go off to make their delivery. The customer is informed ahead of time and they wait at the front of their home for the drone to arrive and with a QR code, the recipient can remove the goods.
If you have yet to shop online, Google can find anything you want and you can place your very first online order and join the millions of online shoppers.
