The e-commerce party... is everyone on the guest list?

E-COMMERCE is now a staple avenue for shoppers in most countries and for many categories. The size of the global e-commerce industry is expected to top US$2 trillion this year, according to eMarketer.com. The pace of growth is a scorching 24 per cent year-on-year. Asia is at the forefront of these leaps, accounting for about 50 per cent of the e-commerce market. So, does everyone stand to gain in this non-stop party? On the face of it, it seems so.

Shoppers are clearly celebrating the convenience, choices and promotions. Shopping anytime is a boon for them. As payment systems and delivery mechanisms start to gain simplicity and maturity, buying anything online is a no-brainer now. It's not just millennials or Gen Z customers - everyone is picking up the habit. From simple product-list formats, the sites are enhancing the utility to include selection advice, user reports, self-sorting (bestsellers), choice guides, online chats and so on. No-questions-asked product return policies are the new standard in most countries. Worries over delayed or damaged deliveries are minimised by smart deliverers who are sharpening the practices continuously. Amidst all these, the original advantage of better prices remains intact for most categories.

Brand marketers are celebrating too. They have found the perfect channel to sell their products or services, without the hassle of physical space, distributor tie-ups, inventory management at multiple locations, expensive point-of-sale advertising or retail and logistics infrastructure. There are now companies using online as their only channel of sales and distribution. Banks have new access routes to consumers. Digitalisation has saved them a lot of sales and distribution dollars.