Ecommerce Pros and Cons

...

There is also the question of security, which arises when ecommerce comes to mind. When making an online purchase, credit card information and mailing address need to be provided. In many cases, ecommerce websites are able to access and share other information about the customer’s online behavior and preferences. This could lead to credit card fraud, and identity theft. There are many hackers who look for opportunities, and an ecommerce site, service, payment gateways, are all at risk of being attacked.

One other factor, which can turn out to be an issue, is the fact that nowadays, it is possible for anyone to open up an ecommerce store due to the low barrier to entry. Therefore, it can become less reliable to the customers because they will start to wonder if they are buying from an authentic store, which may reduce the number of online purchasers.

Proper maintenance and experience is also required to manage an ecommerce site, which can be costly.

One other disadvantage is that in a lot of countries in the world still do not have full access to Internet. In such cases, the merchant cannot fully operate globally or reach certain potential target consumers. Internet can also be expensive for some, and the merchants will not be able to reach these potential customers or lose them.

Not only that, it is a given fact that when we purchase something, we want to be able to get to it as soon as possible. However, when something is bought online, the customer has to wait for the product to be delivered, which may make the customer impatient. This can especially be an issue when a customer wants to order something, which he or she urgently needs. [pic 3]

Even though ecommerce has both its advantages and disadvantages, a lack of ecommerce of a business limits potential growth and can result in businesses losing potential customers, or not being able to reach them at all. To conclude, it can be said that the future of ecommerce looks quite promising in some ways, as more and more businesses begin to have their own ecommerce site, thus helping both consumers and buyers in satisfying their needs and wants.

Bibliography

Khurana, Ajeet. "Advantages of Ecommerce." Ecommerce.about.com. December 16, 2014. http://ecommerce.about.com/od/eCommerce-Basics/tp/Advantages-Of-Ecommerce.htm.

"Disadvantages of Ecommerce." Ecommerce.about.com. December 16, 2014. http://ecommerce.about.com/od/eCommerce-Basics/a/Disadvantages-Of-Ecommerce.htm.

PowerPoint :

- Advantages of ecommerce:

- Overcome Geographical Limitations

- Gain New Customers With Search Engine Visibility

- Lower Costs

- Less time consuming and quicker product location

- Compare and find the best product and price.

- Create Targeted Communication

- Remain Open All the Time

- Equip Customers with Information

- Increase in growth and sales

- Disadvantages of ecommerce:

- Not everything can be bought online

- Security

- Reliability issues

- It is not possible to experience the product before purchasing

- Maintenance

- Access to internet

- Customers have to wait for delivery