Is e-commerce any different from traditional brick & mortar?Which categories are likely to sell well.What are the conditions necessary for the continued success of e-commerce?
Well,e-commerce is different.You cannot touch & feel the products you are buying.You cannot see what you are buying.But consider this-most things are bought thus.We generally are shown a sample based on which we decide to make a purchase.It is not possible in terms of time & space to figure out the quality of everything we buy.We can only make a superficial check with electrical & electronic goods,books & even clothes.So buying a computer online is really the same as buying it from a high street shop.Or buying a bedsheet through e-commerce is the same as buying it from the local mall.Only after using it a few times will you know the good points and bad points.And supposing you are buying from a famous chain store you will take home the packaged good.And only after opening the wrapping will you know what you have actually bought.Thats the same as online.And you don't have to pay the taxi fare that you will have to shell out while returning from the mall.For e-commerce to sustain India has to grow.More computers,more smartphones,better internet connectivity and definitely fewer power cuts.And an educated,aware,informed population who have toilets at home probably.And more credit & debit cards and more reliable banks I guess.
