The commerce industry never stays still for too long. But in recent years, the rate of change has become more profound and significant than in times gone by. Ecommerce has become more widely available and accepted and, in the process, has given plenty of benefits to consumers. Most of this has to do with the level of information available online, and as a result of market competition. Today, consumers can research any product they want to buy, find electrical, travel, and betting offers, among others, and have more control over how they pay. This gives them a degree of choice that is unmatched in market history. In this article, we’ll look a little closer at the shifts that gave rise to this increase in consumer power.

In-Depth Knowledge

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Knowledge is power in any area of life, and especially when you’re getting out your wallet. People want to believe that what they’re buying is worth their money. The internet has removed much of the guesswork and has allowed people to make informed decisions. In the pre-internet days, you’d only have the company’s marketing materials or a friend’s recommendation to guide you; now, you can get in-depth specifications and other important information at the click of a button.

Price Comparison

Nobody wants to feel that they’ve paid more money than they should have. The thing is, in the past, you’d have no way of knowing if the price you were about to pay was fair — or at least, you wouldn’t have an easy way to do it. With a smartphone in their hand, consumers can do a quick Google search to see the average price of the product they’re about to buy and then decide if they’re happy to make the purchase or not.

Finding Deals

You’ve always been able to find deals — they’ve been around for as long as people have been selling things. But finding them was a challenge, and in any case, you couldn’t be sure that what you were getting really was a deal. The rise of the internet has led to a significant rise in online deals, and they’re also easier to find than ever before. There are websites that collect all the best deals in one place, so no matter what you’re looking for, you’ll be able to see all the offers available to you with just a few clicks of your button.

Power of Reviews

There are honest companies who will tell you the truth about their products, or in any case, they won’t lie. But the fact of the matter is that even the most trustworthy of companies have their own agenda. They want you to buy their product, and that means that they’ll never be able to give you a balanced perspective. But previous buyers can. They’ll have no skin in the game, so they’ll be happy to provide an honest assessment of the product. This helps consumers buy with confidence, and also more broadly elevates standards — a company that sells a subpar product won’t be around for too long once the reviews begin rolling in!

Handling Issues

Not all products work out. There can be issues that mean the buyer needs to return the item or just needs a bit of guidance. Companies are investing heavily in their customer service because of the danger of poor reviews, and they’re also making themselves available to talk in a number of ways — you can usually reach a company via phone, website chat support, email, or their social media. The public nature of social media has been particularly helpful for consumers. They know that if they’re not getting a response via private channels, they’ll probably be able to get one by posting publicly because of the danger of bad publicity.

A Range of Payment Options

People increasingly like to do things their way. The rise of the internet has allowed people to have hyper-personal experiences and do things the way they want to do them. Everyone has their preferred way of paying — some people like PayPal, some like Apple Pay; some want to divide the payments into three, and so on. People have different needs, and the eCommerce industry is largely catering to them. The biggest, most forward-thinking websites offer a wide range of payment options, allowing the buyer to pay the way that suits them.

Convenience

The internet is all about convenience, and that’s something that we see particularly in the context of online shopping. To people who lived fifty years ago, it would be unthinkable that you could pull out a device, tap a few buttons, and then have a product put on a ship and sent to your front door. When people’s most valuable commodity is time, that’s priceless. It also represents one of the biggest shifts in buying trends; in the old days, people would pay an in-person visit to a store; now, the business comes to you.

Wider Availability

There are only a handful of cities in the world where you can do everything. If you live in a smaller city or a rural town, then there will be plenty of goods that are not available in the local stores. But thanks to the internet, that’s not important. If you can’t find something in the store, then you can just go online and find the item there. It makes all products available at all times, and that’s a massive shift that should not be overlooked.

Repair Tutorials

Finally, there’s the matter of repairs. On YouTube, you’ll find tutorials to fix just about anything, and that’s an excellent consumer asset since it means they’re able to extend the life of the item and get more bang for their buck. Some companies would prefer if consumers didn’t repair their goods because they’d need to replace them — but the internet community ensures that that’s the last resort.

Conclusion

The eCommerce industry has already benefited consumers, and with further developments and more competition on the way, that seems unlikely to change anytime soon. Indeed, the savings and deals will be likely to be even better in the future.