E-Commerce

E-Commerce is an interesting concept that involves people using the internet to perform business activities over computer networks. This allows people to exchange good and services without ever having to meet or even communicate at all. The luxury of being able to go cloths shopping in your pajamas while never leaving your couch is one many can not seem to pass up. According to some e-retail statistics, “E-commerce sales in the U.S. totaled $38.00 billion in the first three months of this year versus $33.98 billion in Q1 2010.” This is an astonishing number considering that many economists believe that we are in a double dip recession as of right now. The connivance that e-commerce gives to customers allows companies to be versatile within their sector and reach two markets with the same products. For example, you can go to a mall and go shopping the physical location such as Victoria’s Secret. Victoria’s Secret also has an e-store where you can get many of the same products maybe more, due to not having physical inventory; therefore, limiting the sale of some products. In an e-store you have to ability to sell more items because you don’t need a store front only a virtual front. The inventory can be held at any warehouse, that your item will be shipped from. This allows you to save room and be a player in the e-commerce business sector. Many companies have both a actual store and e-store to accommodate to e-consumers. The e-store has many advantages over a physical store for example, “Generally, online sellers features lower prices because they don't have the overhead of renting a pad in a strip mall, high electric bills, and a staff of sales people.” Another advantage of doing e-shopping is the advantage that you may not have to pay taxes on the items bought depending on where you live. This is a great incentive for shopping online and one reason, besides connivance, that I think e-commerce is on a steady incline in sales. There is one thing I don’t think a e-store can compare with and that is the human need to be around other people even though they may not know any of them. This interaction is very interesting and can be seen at the mall every day. People go to the mall and are able to be around other human beings and walk around and window shop. This sense of belonging to something is one big reason I think Malls are so popular. The modern day mall is now catering to everything from shopping to amusement parks. People wait hours to get a parking spot at the Garden State Plaza to do shopping and spend a day with other people doing the same thing. This could all be avoided if they were to just shop online and have the items delivered. E-commerce has changed the way our society does business and will continue to increase as we reach into the future. Jim Marks an e-commerce specialst said, “With e-commerce, the challenge is always converting people from lookers to bookers. But in general, people are becoming more comfortable online, as systems become easier and quicker to use.”

http://www.internetretailer.com/2011/05/10/e-retail-sales-jump-12-q1
http://tv.about.com/od/learningcenter/a/onlinevsstoretv.htm

http://www.famousquotes.com/author/jim-marks/