Over the past few years, online trading has developed so rapidly that there has been talk online that it will completely replace traditional trading. A good ecommerce development company can develop hundreds of platforms and websites per year, while the number of real stores is decreasing even among large online players. So, is there a threat to traditional trade from online stores?
Why online sales are growing so rapidly
The main reason for the growing popularity of online shopping is the opportunity to choose. Even in a large store, placing such a quantity of goods on a modest online portal is impossible. Many brands in boutiques display only the latest collections and the most popular clothing models, new equipment, and what they need to sell. On their websites, you can buy outfits from previous years at a good discount in any size and color. That is, the companies themselves, which have real retail outlets, provoke customers to buy goods from them online. Stores in shopping centers, in some cases, began to serve as showcases and real income came from Internet portals.
Another reason is to expand opportunities for the client. Let’s take clothes as an example—a fitting service has appeared. That is, the buyer orders an item not in one copy and color but in several. He measures everything, chooses what he likes best and fits, and sends the rest of the things back. This service makes online stores as similar as possible to traditional ones, increasing the level of customer confidence.
The pandemic has changed consumer behavior patterns. Many people now do not want to spend several hours in a crowded place and touching surfaces other visitors have touched. In those days when we were all sitting at home, advertising of online stores firmly implanted the idea in our minds: online shopping is safe. Therefore, many instinctively continue to order on the Internet what can be easily bought in the nearest shopping center.
Are all real stores going to close soon?
Why the Internet Will Not Defeat Traditional Trade
Only a tiny percentage of consumers are willing to give up shopping entirely. And there are several good reasons for this.
The first is mistrust. Unfortunately, there are quite a few scammers on the Internet who have greatly undermined the reputation of responsible and honest platforms. But they are also perfect: they send the client the wrong goods, the wrong size or color, and delay delivery. Many factors in the operation of platforms undermine consumer confidence.
Another critical factor is that people are only ready to buy some goods online. This list is a guarantee that traditional trading will always be relevant:
- food – according to some surveys, no more than 5% of people are ready to order everything on the Internet;
- alcohol – trust in specialized real stores is much higher, especially when it comes to elite drinks;
- luxury goods – only a tiny part of buyers are willing to pay a severe amount to an online seller;
- jewelry – too low a degree of trust and a high probability of receiving a fake in the opinion of buyers.
This list can be continued. However, the point is that the Internet and offline trade will exist in parallel for a long time and even complement each other.
