Customer Service

 The Rise of Online Shopping

The increase in bandwidth and speed for the average user has been dramatic in the past ten years. Previously, everyone was tied to a dial-up connection, which made surfing the web, much less making a purchase, an exercise in extreme patience. Today, many users are enjoying the speed of cable, dsl, wifi, and wireless connections, providing them with almost instantaneous page search results. This has increased the usage of the Internet on every avenue, from research to email and especially with online shopping.

As connection speed began to improve, a number of hackers began to realize the fragility of non-secure online connections and began to steal the identities and money of thousands of people. This turned many customers away from online shopping, in fear of being taken advantage of and caused online venders to have new determination in finding a better way to conduct business. Thus, encryption came into the picture. Encryption is the single most effective method for transferring data securely. In order to read a file that is encrypted, the user must also have the encryption key or password, which allows the message to be decrypted. With encryption came virtually absolute privacy free government grant important data, such as payment information, which paved the way for online retailers to set up secure and trustworthy marketplaces. There are now various ways to accept payments. Credit card merchant accounts are the most popular and effective, making it possible for individual businesses to process credit card payments without the use of a third party website.

With the possibility of online business as a safe way to do business, a flood of retailers, service providers, and other establishments began to create an online presence. The cost of an online storefront is so much less than an actual brick mortar store because there is very little need for employees and there are no building costs or utility bills to pay. Not only is it less expensive, but it is not specific to only one area. A website can service anyone, virtually anywhere in the world. Many established retailers began to create an online shopping presence to expand their businesses to the global marketplace.

No one can foresee the future of online shopping, but it continues to rise in popularity and profits. The convenience of purchasing goods and services without leaving the comfort of your own home is more appealing to many people around the world. As technology increases in efficiency, we can only assume that this will enhance the online shopping experience, thus making ecommerce more accessible, convenient, and enjoyable for everyone.