Information technology and IT enabled business management have reshaped the dynamics of our lives, and made 21st century a technology driven regime. Online shopping is one such premium example of information technology driven business process, where you buy, sell and transact on the internet/electronic platforms. The popularity of the web based shopping can be estimated from the fact that, 80% of the US population aged in between 32-44 buy products on the web, while the ratio in the people aged in between 44-64 and 18-32 is 71 % and 72% respectively.
A question arises, ‘why do people prefer online shopping?’ or ‘why online shopping is better than the conventional method?’ the answer is simply, ‘convenience’. The listed points will further elaborate it.
- Customers can enjoy shopping 24 hours a day, as there is no opening and ending time for the online retailers.Online retailers offer variety of choices for the customers, which enable them to compare the products and buy the most suitable one.
- Due to the multiple tab options in your web browsers, you can open more than one retailer’s window. This makes it easy for you to look, find and compare various products, ranges, varieties and prices. In simple words, your decision making is very easy on the web.
- Online shopping is better because it saves lots of your costs. You do not have to travel, withdraw cash from the bank, search for the products here and there, and waste time in the market, and hence it saves your. Moreover, due to lower cost of doing business, web retailers offer products at lower price as compared to the physical market.
- Another good thing about web based shopping is the concept of ‘coupons’. You can buy out the discount coupons of the given retailers and avail discounted prices at the products you aspire to buy.
- Many of the web retailers also offer free shipment and home delivery, and multiple convenient payment methods.
In short, you can find out a great variety of conveniences on the web, which is invisible in the conventional shopping.
E-Commerce and E-Services:
A very important concept in the electronic business is e-services. This means that just like the conventional methods, you can avail and transact services on the web. Online banking, e-tickets booking, web based consultancies, electronic bill payments and buying the service deals are also part of e-service concept. Whether you require telephone line, cable/DSL internet connection, medical advice, VoIP telephone services, or educational consultancies, you can browse through the web and sign up for them.
Again, the fundamental driver that makes your electronic exchange of goods and services better is ‘convenience’. You can enjoy access to your bank accounts, activate your preferred telephone or VoIP services (Skype, Axvoice) and enjoy medical and professional advices on the web. In short, due to the increasing population of internet platforms and websites, the popularity has gone to unprecedented heights. Unlike real world, electronic one has neither borders, nor boundaries to prohibit you from having access to the available products and services.
