How e-commerce is changing people’s shopping habits

Even though e-commerce has been around for a long time only 5% of all goodsproduced are bought online. But e-commerce is still growing. It is breaking intotraditional markets more than ever before. Not just books, CDs and holiday trips are bought online, but all sort of other products and services that wereunimaginable in the past. Today, more and more online shops get their customers from social networks like Facebook and mobile phones.

In the past going shopping was fun, something that you did with your friends or relatives. It was a social event. Today, Facebook and other social media networks are the driving force behind online shopping. Companies targetpotential customers and online communities. If they advertise their brandsand products in the right way people will talk about them, and news spreads throughout the online world much quicker than in the real world.

The new smartphone generation is likely to have an even greater impact on online shopping. While in a real store, customers often getreviews and price comparisons directly on their mobile. In many cases, when they see something they want to buy they leave the shop and buy online or go to a nearby place where they get it for a lower price. There are even apps which show you if there is a certainproduct on sale within a short distance of your location.

E-commerce is only at the beginning, with many more new shopping experiences to come.

source : http://www.english-online.at/news-articles/business-economy/ecommerce-is-changing-peoples-shopping-habits.htm