It was not long time ago when I decided to do my first purchase online. I remember I bought a book for college purposes at Amazon. I was very nervous due to the identity theft issue, but when the book arrived at my doorstep, I felt in a totally new era, in which I do not have to drive anywhere in order to buy an item. Now a days, my list of products shopped online goes from a nail polish to a computer.
E-marketing has not only changed the way people gather information and evaluate the various options about different brands, items or services, but also have revolutionized the purchasing process itself. Sometimes consumers used to browse the web looking for electronics, books, clothes or jewelry they would go to buy at the store; now a day they just buy them directly from the website.
Shopping online can offer so many advantages such as saving gas and time because consumers don’t have to fight traffic, find a parking spot at a mall, or look through products they have no interest in. Also, purchasing online could give people a better selection of item, sizes and colors than the ones at offered physical store. In addition, the buyers have the chance to purchase from a store that has not a branch near their area; for example the closer H&M in South Florida is 80 miles North from Miami, so customers could turn to hm.com in order to get what they want.
Moreover, by using the web, people have the opportunity to find out what other users of the product have to say about the effectiveness or durability of the item they are planning to buy; therefore, avoiding disappointments and saving hundreds of dollars over the years.
Forrester Research is forecasting continued growth for ecommerce over the next five years, saying U.S. online retail sales will hit $248.7 billion by 2014; consequently, E-marketing does not seem to be a new trend, it seems to be a strong process that will gain strength year after year and will rule our consumer behavior from head to toe.
