Advantages and disadvantages of e-commerce to consumers (b2c)

Advantages and Disadvantages of E-Commerce to Consumers Advantages and Disadvantages of E-Commerce to Consumers Advantages of E-commerce to consumersDisadvantages of E-commerce to consumers
Provides capability to satisfy the customers’ requirements more efficiently and effectively as compared to traditional shopping. Customers also get their required products at a minimal efforts, time investment and inconvenience. Because a consumer can buy goods by clicking a mouse button without going anywhere from his house (Patil and Bhakkad, 2014).
Security and privacy are bigger concerns of consumers about E-Commerce use for online shopping. Consumers want the secure transactions and privacy of information provided. They worry about fraudulent acts of hackers. However, reputable websites have installed the safeguards to protect their consumers from all concerns Encryption and decryption system for authentication of users, and close working with cybercrime handling companies. They have installed premium antivirus and firewalls (Parsons and Oja, 2011).
Consumer can access the online system and gets a complete information about products, saves time and cost. Consumers can compare the prices of different products and select the best company offering quality products at a low cost (Joseph, 2012).
Consumers feel difficulty in inspecting the some of items like food items, jewellery and antique etc. from remote locations. Most disadvantage of E-Commerce is the rapid expansion of the underlying technologies (Parsons and Oja, 2011).
Cultural environment of consumers has been changed through the use of E-Commerce. Consumers have overcome their cultural and native-environment. Because consumers’ trust has been explored through the online system. Advanced system have reduced the mistrust of consumers regardless of their cultures, such as Amazon. com, Ebay etc. (Ong, 2013).
Many E-Commerce websites have legal and cultural issues for conducting their business. Most of the consumers fear about using their credit cards and sending the numbers over the internet. Other consumers show their resistance in changes and feel uncomfortable when they look merchandise on the computers’ screens (Joseph, 2012).
Consumers can expand their choice of products in order to buy products at any time from anyplace. Consumers can customize products to meet their personal benefits. transparency in the E-Commerce has resulted in to an intensive competition that has lowered the products’ prices for consumers (Azadi, 2011).
Unlike physical shopping from mortar and brick store where customers can talk to service providers, E-Commerce does not provide such as platform to customers. Much of services provided by e-commerce involve the digital technology where consumers have to wait for a long time for receiving the reply (Morley and Parker, 2015).
E-Commerce has allowed the consumers to make transactions anywhere for 365 days a year. Consumers impact on that how products are made and how companies deliver the services to consumers ( Morley and Parker, 2015).
Although purchasding from the online company is a convenient mean but product cost is not clear provided on the website. Sometimes, E-Commerce companies include the high cost of shipping and re-stocking charges, which are paid by consumers (Jiang et al., 2012).
Old business links have been changed from vertical relationships to the extended or integrated relationships . In vertical relationships a company has control over its suppliers and distributors, while in integrated relationships all departments are linked and no central control over it. To keep the integrated or extended relationship, e-commerce plays a vital role where business to consumers relationship is maintained. (Manzoor, 2010)
There are millions of online users all over the world. Intenet is the businest highway for business. Internet is monitored and designed to avoid the failures, but internet failure happenings are most common these days, attackers as well as technological issues have created concerns for website owners and administrators. Denial of service is caused as a large number of people access the website at the same time (Sharma, 2009).
Many e-commerce websites provide a forum for viewers to post their feedbacks about products they purchase from online systems. Consumers confidence is increased by looking the positive comments from customers (BBC, 2014).
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References
Azadi S. (2011). Strategies For Competitive Advantage In Electronic Commerce, Emerging Markets Journal, Vol. 1. 58-69
BBC. (2014). Electronic money and electronic commerce, Available from http://www. bbc. co. uk/schools/gcsebitesize/ict/implications/1lifestylerev3. shtml Accessed on 11-03-2015.
Jiang L., Yang Z and Jun M. (2012). Measuring consumers’ perceptions of online shopping convenience. Journal of Service Management, 24(2). 191-214.
Joseph J. S. (2012). E-Commerce, New Delhi, PHI Learning Private Limited.
Manzoor A. (2010). E-Commerce: An introduction, Deutschland, Verlag.
Morley D. and Parker C. (2015). Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, Comprehensive, Stamford. CENGAGE Learning.
Ong, H. (2013). Trends in Electronic Commerce Among Selected
Companies in Metro Manila, Philippines, Rev. Integr. Bus. Econ. Res. 2(2), 534-546.
Parsons J. J. and Oja D. (2011). Computer concepts: illustrated introductory, Boston, CENGAGE Learning.
Patil D., and Bhakkad D. (2014). Redefining Management Practices and Marketing in Modern Age, Jalgon. Atharva Publications
Sharma D. (2009). Foundations of IT, New Delhi, Anuraj Jain Publishing Limited.