We have become so used to sitting in front of our laptop screen and tapping on “add to cart, purchase” that it seems almost impossible to imagine a world where this mode of shopping did not exist.
Online shopping became all the more relevant when Covid-19 came uninvited and restricted us to our homes. With serious bans placed on gatherings and malls, what could we do to bring in groceries, buy clothes, and even order the basic necessities such as medicines?
Although online shopping has been right here for years, it was during this tough time that the world saw a sudden surge in the number of people relying on e-stores. Soon customers were using it to purchase their favorite items, avail of crazy discounts on online shops, stay up to date with ongoing trends, and even buy gift cards online easily and quickly.
Where Was Online Shopping 10 Years Back?
If we talk about huge online stores such as Amazon, then we can safely say that e-shops have been quite an action since the mid-90s. The first noticeable event in the life history of online shopping was the launch of NetMarket in 1994. This was an online marketplace set up by Daniel M Kohn and considered to be an equivalent of a shopping mall in cyberspace. Fancy!
The next year came eBay listing tool which was followed by China’s Alibaba hitting the market in 1999. At this point, many entrepreneurs were beginning to understand the importance of online sales and web-stores but considering how unstable internet connections could be at that time and that only a small number of people were active internet users, this innovative technology did now reach its full potential.
It might be shocking for you to discover that just 15 or 20 years back, online shopping comprised only 6% of all retail sales in the US.
In the late 1990s, globalization became a sought-after agenda and many businessmen considered it “highly profitable” if they invested in eCommerce. This is what gave online shopping the boost that it needed.
Customers wanted to reach the products that weren’t available in their local market and internet connection gave them the strength to do so. Now the trend of online shopping had really started to take off!
Eat, Sleep, Online Shop, REPEAT!
In a research published in 2017, it was written that “Americans had started to do online shopping as often as they took out trash”.
- Shockingly, this would not be an understatement! IT was noted that US residents were using smartphones and computers almost 22% more in the years following 2015 than those previous to it. Consequently, eCommerce sales took a sudden leap to 49%. Online grocery was on top of the list with a more than 110% boost in daily sales.No noticeable innovation had been brought in how online shopping was carried out but its number had significantly grown.This was the time when online merchants started using their e-stores to sell more than just their products. Even marketing of new brands shifted to online alternatives on a high scale when many leading stores started to use Tjmaxxfeedback online surveys to gather customer reviews and offer exciting rewards in return.Online Shopping Is Here For The Long Haul
Currently, more than 30% of the businesses have well-developed online stores as well. Magento is one of the most popular platforms and businesses tend to hire Magento store development company to get it set up. The trend is still on the rise with restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic accelerating the growth. Anyway, because system support and security patches have no longer been provided to Magento 1 users since July 2022, it’s a wise move to upgrade Magento 1 to Magento 2.
Online shopping is fun and it can be safely done from the comforts of our homes. Besides conveniences, shopping online carries many other advantages over the offline alternatives.
Here’s a quick summary!
You don’t need to leave your bed. Simply sip a cup of coffee as you look for all the products you need
There is no hassle of spending on fuel and drive to far away to shopping malls
You don’t have to worry about parking tickets and finding the right support to park your vehicle
Online shopping is quick since customers don’t need to wait in long lines till their turn to pay for the items
You can make online payment as well that is safer than carrying cash or cards in your wallet.It seems like those who still haven’t tried online shopping are missing out on a lot whereas those who have already become used to this trend just can’t stop!
