Over the past few years, drastic changes have taken place in the field of selling. Internet and Information technology have changed virtually every aspect of sales and marketing. Earlier we had to go to the retail shops to buy products but the scenario has changed, by simply using our mobile phones we can now order products or can demand any service required.
With the passage of time the methods of trading have evolved from physical face to face meeting to online trading. E-commerce is the business model for the new millennium. It can be define as buying and selling of goods and services or transmission of data over an electronic network primarily the internet. The benefits of e-commerce include: its around-the-clock availability, the speed of access, a wider selection of goods and services, accessibility, and international reach.
Small scale retailers are facing huge competition, as a result of which they have to shut down their operations. Price comparison sites are making things very tough for physical retailers with no online presence and physical retailers who do not have websites, are faced with a painful e-commerce choice. E-commerce firms are confronting resistance from all stakeholders of modern retail—from consumer goods makers and distributors to offline retailers—as they try and grab a larger share of the consumer’s wallet by dangling attractive discounts.
In order to protect themselves from the competition, retailers have to change their traditional way of selling. Assistance should be provided by the government so that retailers can easily carry their operations. Retailers should join hands, form a coalition and release their own online retailing application, providing doorstep delivery to the customers giving stiff competition to the e-commerce retailers.
Author: Arpit Mehra
SURGE 2K16 