Online purchases are growing at a dizzying pace. Online sales are achieving year-on-year increases of over 20%, and the trend does not seem to stop in the short term.
In recent years we have been able to witness an increase in online sales platforms and solutions, and today, any type of business that is considering growth cannot ignore its presence on the network and the ecommerce channel.
But while this exponential growth was already evident, recent events have come to highlight what was already known: online shopping is the future. The Covid-19 crisis has reaffirmed the importance of this sales channel, and in the midst of de-escalation towards a new normal that is expected to be uncertain, and perhaps longer than we would like, ecommerce is imposed as the basis of some of the greater business opportunities. And also as the lifeline of many businesses that have seen their activity jeopardized in recent times.
The current situation is one of the reasons why, surely, we will see more online stores in the near future such as Vlone. But what are the real reasons for the overall growth of the digital market?
1. Improved Platforms
It is becoming easier to create an online store and the purchasing processes are also simpler and therefore more attractive to the consumer. Its great functionality is linked to the increasingly simple payment platforms, which also make these purchasing processes safe and fast: the key to great business opportunities.
Technological advances have allowed developments that were unthinkable just a few years ago in ecommerce platforms: easier integration, improvements in usability, security, customization options or the management of orders and payments. For example, we only have to think of the consolidation of responsive websites as something essential, simpler in design, more intuitive and, importantly, adaptable to all types of devices. Even AMP technology, designed to accelerate the loading speed of mobile content as much as possible, is already a standard in many online stores. Let us remember that current trends in ecommerce point towards an increasing use of smartphones as channels through which online purchases are made, so this general improvement in platforms partly justifies the rise of ecommerce.
Advantages for Users
There are more reasons that justify the success of online commerce. One of them has to do with the many advantages it offers to customers. Buying online, from home or from anywhere and at any time of the day, is really comfortable. You have to assume, and not in all cases, small shipping costs, but it allows you to save on travel and time. Also, the network has everything we need. We can find practically everything, compare prices, read opinions, purchase products or services easily and flexibly, and even benefit from specific offers or promotions. Online shops now offer coupons like Nike promo code and other companies promo codes.
As we pointed out before, the situation derived from the coronavirus has highlighted the importance of having an online channel. How would we have spent the days of confinement without the possibility, for example, of acquiring basic necessities through the Internet and the consequent option of receiving them without leaving home?
2. There are more Users on the Internet
If technologies improve and online shopping options increase, consumers inevitably grow. In the middle of the digital age, almost everyone is an Internet user. Whether for work or leisure, whether in the media, streaming platforms or social networks – it is estimated that more than 31% of the world population is present in some social network – the truth is that users of the network does not stop growing. And this is another reason that explains the success of ecommerce and why it is a perfect channel to explore new business opportunities.
Greater user Confidence in Online Purchases
Online shopping is already part of our day to day. It has been established as something every day, in part because of the confidence that ecommerce has been able to generate in the consumer when purchasing products or services. Increasingly, there is a greater perception of security in transactions by users, and overall consumer satisfaction has increased. It is clear that in recent years there has been a notable change in purchasing culture that, obviously, favors digital commerce.
3. Examples of Sectors with Online Shopping
There are sectors that have adapted like a glove to online commerce. We are talking, for example, about electronics, computers, fashion or the home, four of the categories that have the most followers in online shopping, both through their own stores and through the marketplace channel Vlone Shirt.
These types of platforms, which function something like a large market with different sellers, are gaining a lot of ground in the ecommerce ecosystem, and are undoubtedly a simple and fast option for those sellers who cannot manage or maintain their own store. Also as a complement to a broader sales and marketing strategy.