E-commerce had its boom for many reasons. One of the biggest is probably the pandemic that made even the most stubborn store shoppers start ordering things online.
In 2023 however, we finally could say that COVID is part of our past. It’s still a recent past and we still feel consequences, sure, but it’s officially over. So, one could not help but wonder, does that mean that it’s time for e-commerce’s slow decline? The answer is very simple: no.
E-commerce in 2023 is still very much alive, kicking, and on the rise. And there are many reasons for that. Let’s take a look at those reasons and the overall state of e-commerce in 2023 as we approach the middle of the year.
People simply love online shopping
As we said, many people were reluctant to start shopping online. Because they didn’t feel safe, they were not able to trust the online sellers, etc. But, once they had to try it they saw many of their worries were unreasonable.
Sure, there are still those who avoid shopping for certain goods online. For example, clothes, because they prefer trying them. But that still leaves them with a lot of other goods to purchase online.
Most online shoppers, of course, are younger generations. However, baby boomers and Gen- X have also joined the club of online shoppers. It might not come naturally to them but they see the convenience. Especially in the case of health issues and mobility problems, some people experience due to advanced age. In this scenario having goods brought to you at your doorstep is a great solution.
Technology is supporting the further development of e-commerce
E-commerce and all those online good-to-haves, beginning with the Internet itself wouldn’t be here without the technology. And, of course, technology recognized the benefits of e-commerce and its future reach thus continuously developing ways to help solve the issues those who sell and buy online might have.
Thanks to this, we now have the best e-commerce development services available for those who want to start their online businesses. We also have high-standard ways of protecting the data of those who shop online, ways to protect them from fraud, identity theft, etc. Thus, technology is the reason e-commerece’s quality is increasing on daily bases.
Who said that dropshipping is dead?!
Dropshipping is a very interesting way of doing business. Its concept is pretty simple: you own an online store but you don’t pre-purchase goods you’ll sell to your future customers. Instead, you order them from your suppliers after you received an order for them.
The beauty of this business model is the fact you don’t have to have a warehouse to keep the goods. Additionally, it’s easier to deal with your supply chain. All this means much smaller expenses for you as the business owner thus making it so much easier for many to start.
So why people thought Dropshipping will die? Mostly because it has lower profit margins and there’s a lack of strong branding. But, the state of e-commerce in 2023 is showing us pretty clearly that dropshipping is very much alive as suppliers are reporting revenue increases.
People are ready to overlook the downsides of dropshipping because it allows them to test the market and see how is their online store going. If it’s good, they can always rent a warehouse later down the road and switch to a more traditional business model with higher profit. But if their online store isn’t successful, their losses will be significantly lower if they opt for Dropshipping.
Increased competition
The growth of e-commerce is visible in how many stores are available to consumers. Their number is increasing daily. And this is pretty good for those who buy: more shops means lower prices.
But for e-commerce stores, competition means they have to step up tier game and offer as close to perfect online stores as possible. This is not easy or cheap but in a way is a win-win situation for both buyers and sellers.
The downside of the increased competition is the fact that advertising rates are growing constantly. This is somewhat of a problem for many small players in the market. And we could say this is one of the pretty rare negative things to mention about the state of e-commerce in 2023.
Wrap up
So what is the state of e-commerce in 2023? It’s here to stay, with the constant support of technology, the love of the users, and the popularity of dropshipping. And while increased competition has some downsides, overall is just another thing that shows e-commerce has a future.
