Advantages and disadvantages of e-commerce websites

As descibed in my previous post, electronic commerce includes types of business activity, such as trading, investing and so on. In this post I will analyse positive and negative aspects of the e-commerce to see if advanatages outweights the disadvantages.

(Authors work)

On the table above you can see, in my opinion, the main pros and cons of e-commerce websites (tap on photo for a better view).  As an advantage I chose accessibility of stores and services, especially for those who are not located in major urban cities. Also, an ability to easily compare prices and chose the best deal. Another con is a delivery option, you can choose day, time, and location in most of the e-commerce websites for your delivery. Reduced employee costs, meaning, that fewer employees are needed for lower-end jobs, therefore, human recourses can be used for higher level functions. Unlimited shelf space in e-commerce stores, meaning, large variety of products can be offered in one store. Digital goods can be downloaded and used instantly instead of buying a CD. Lastly, unlimited access, time wise. 

In disadvantage section you can see security issues, as you are not secured from scams in the internet, also, your data, personal information is collected with every 'click'. Multiple adds on the websites, which, could make you buy things you probably do not need. Delay in receiving goods, due to weather, strikes or transporting issues. Sometimes, if happens that you are not at home when delivery comes, it might be rescheduled, and you will have to wait even longer. Lack of personal touch such as communication with store assistants. You are unable to test goods before buying, therefore, you might be left unsatisfied with the purchase. Expanses needed for infrastructure to develop, renew and update the websites. Lastly, internet issues might appear in the middle of buying or selling goods, what could mean that you will have to start all over again (Niranjanamurthy et al., 2013).

As we can see now, as good as e-commerce sounds, there are some serious disadvantages which should be considered.

Referances

Niranjanamurthy, M.,  Kavyashree, N., Jagannath, S., Dharmendra, C. (2013), "Analysis of e-commerce and m-commerce: Advantages, limitations and security issues" International journal of advanced research in computer and communication engineering , 2 (6), pp. 2363- 2364. Available at: 7-Niranjanamurthy-Analysis_of_E-Commerce_and_M-Commerce_Advantages-libre.pdf (d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net) (Accessed: 14 January, 2023)