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In recent years, online commerce has exploded in both popularity and availability. It is no surprise that such a phenomenon has occurred; with convenience being an ever more important variable in where and how we shop, online and electronic storefronts are quickly altering the way in which we shop for even the most basic of goods. There is no one individual reason why this trend is occurring, but it is rather an array of elements that all add up into an avalanche of shifting trends that are increasingly leaving brick and mortar establishments feeling the burn. So what exactly is causing the downfall of the mom and pop storefront? Continue reading to find out more.
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Ease of Access
This was one of the biggest factors in the initial explosion of growth that online retailers experienced. By being able to shop from anywhere in the world at any time, customers suddenly discovered that they did not always need to go to a physical location to pick up their goods – especially if they were willing to wait an extra day or two for the trade-off inconvenience. In some cases, expedited shipping could be used as a way to receive the package even quicker, and depending on the retailer, the total cost might still have ended up being cheaper than the cost in-store.
No Taxes
While this may be changing in some part depending on where you live, online shopping enjoys another huge advantage: no local taxes paid on the items purchased. When shoppers discovered that they could save a few pennies on the dollar by purchasing an item online, they began to adjust their shopping habits to take this into account. It was already common for shoppers to cross certain jurisdictional lines in order to take advantage of lower sales taxes, but online shopping revolutionized the way in which shoppers could get around spending excess money. Particularly on larger items, online shopping offered an outlet to save money on fees that were not even directly associated with the true cost of the item.
More Selection
Customers in the past were faced with limited selections, determined solely by what the store in question wished to provide and stock on their shelves. These days, however, customers can browse literally millions of online storefronts for what it is they need, and often the level of selection is very broad. Another element to consider is that many storefronts now offer drop-shipping solutions, which means that they sell the product to you without physically possessing it at the time of purchase. This puts traditional stores at a huge disadvantage since they usually have to purchase their goods upfront in order to be able to sell them.
Due to a limited amount of product availability, lower sales taxes (if any at all) and an unparalleled ease of access for customers, online storefronts are stomping traditional retail outlets. There seems to be no end in sight to these trends, begging the question: is brick and mortar shopping doomed to a slow, painful death? While the jury is still out, we recommend snapping up some of those awesome online deals, just in case.
The author of this post, Ian Stephen, is an interior designer by profession in Melbourne. He is one of the sought-after designers and has designed and furnished many retail outlets with store fittings and modular shop fittings.
About the Author:
This article is contributed by Ian Stephen and posted by Rizwan Ahmad Author and founder of www.cyberockk.com, He is a tech blogger from India and he loves to share his thoughts by writing articles on this site to the different topics related to technology world,
