A Look at the Astounding Growth of the Online Shopping Industry
Online shopping was obviously very popular and common in the western countries from quite a few decades. It also just kept getting more popular in those countries, and now has probably turned into one of the largest industries in the world.
However, in other parts of the world, online shopping was far from being a popular or common term. In fact, even when some small companies did attempt to offer products and services through websites in other countries, they probably got a very bitter response. It’s probably due to the fact that online shopping was considered to be very risky in many countries.
Surprisingly, even now, most of the people in the retired age-group in many Asian countries wouldn’t like to shop online, simply because they either may not be having the required resources, such as online banking facilities, debit or credit cards, and the required internet skills, or may be thinking it’s too risky to buy something they can’t even see and touch.
However, this highly conservative approach of the older age-group people didn’t let the online shopping industry from flourishing in some countries. Although many online retailers may have hit a roadblock when they tried to set up a major online business a few decades back, it’s no longer as difficult to sell to people using the internet.
This seems to be primarily due to the fact that now a major part of the population in many Asian countries is comprised of teenagers and young people. They have obviously also got very familiar to using the internet, especially after modern technology was started being used by most of the Asian companies, as well as the surprising growth of social media in such countries.
Major players
As of now, the major players of the online retail market in Asia are Amazon, Flipkart, and Snapdeal. Surprisingly, however, all three of them are operating in losses right from when they were started. They are considered successful companies all the same, though, especially given the fact that the customers’ data and information they own may be worth millions of dollars.
Also, although still in losses, the sales figures of these companies are rising pretty consistently. This is probably due to the growing awareness of online shopping in the Asian countries, as well as the various steps taken by these companies for luring consumers turn to them instead of the offline retailers for all their shopping needs.
Some of the measures that have apparently turned out to be very successful include:
- Offering surprisingly low prices, sometimes lower even than the manufacturing costs (hence the huge losses)
- Flexible replacement policies, allowing customers to simply replace the products they buy from these sites if they encounter any problems within a given period
- Free shipping – Shipping can obviously be a disappointing factor while shopping online, and hence these online retail giants decided to get rid of it to a significant extent
Mobile devices are more vulnerable
Just because nowadays smartphones can do pretty much what a desktop can do doesn’t mean they are just as safe. As a matter of fact, they are not, primarily because they may not have a good antivirus software installed on them, making it easier for hackers to store malware on your device.
Similarly, visiting unknown URLs from your smartphone is a big NO, as they may lead to potentially harmful content and files.
Whether you’re heading out with friends, attending a job interview or going on a first date, you’ll want to look your best, so you can impress each and every person you encounter. In order to do this, you’ll need some fashionable attire and accessories.