Business models are ways in which a business sustains itself or to generate revenue. Many businesses now use the internet to benefit them, either by making a profit or to build relationships with their customers. This leading to the creation of e-business models or ways that businesses can sustain themselves using the internet.
Shopping via online is expanding more and more each year. In Australia, 8 of 10 Australians use online shopping and it is predicted that 1 of every 10 items will be purchased online instead of at a physical store.
It’s not just been used by the millennial who don’t understand ‘the risks of the internet’ but by people of all ages, with 28% of online shoppers over the age of 50 shopping online at least once a week. The expansion of retail online is undeniable but why? Why are so many consumers around the world opting for sitting at their computers rather than entering a physical store?
Consumer’s Convenience
Consumer’s lifestyles have been increasingly busy over the last couple of years due to changes in how households’ function with 25% of families with children having both parents working full time and many people working beyond the 37.5 hour work week as given by awards and agreements. This leading to many of these consumers not having enough time to drive to a physical store, look around for the thing they want, waiting in lines, etc. making online shopping looking far more appealing. It allows consumers to just search what they want and have it delivered within a couple of days. One business that is making use of this busyness is Coles. Coles online allows consumers to search and pick what groceries they want online and have them delivered to their house the next day, saving them so much time not having to stop at the supermarket every. single. day.
Consumer’s Needs
Compared to physical stores, online stores have a much larger range of products. Consumers have very specific needs that need to be met by products with specific characteristics that other products in the same category may not have. For example, when purchasing headphones to listen to music, there are so many different options with ear fit, colours, sound quality, etc. Instead of entering a store and talking to employees who don’t know anything about you, they can look online for the specific qualities that they want by looking at reviews of certain products.
So, why should businesses use e-business models as well as have a physical store? It gives consumers a convenience they wouldn’t normally be able to get if they just went shopping at a physical store. It also allows consumers to meet their particular needs that brick and mortar stores, may be not able to meet. We need these online stores to function be able to effectively and efficiently sell products and promote our brands.
Assignment 1 - Digital Marketing - Hannah Day 
A very interesting blog post, with solid evidence to back up claims and tangible advice for businesses to take on.
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Much appreciated! Thank you so much for taking the time to read it!
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Personally, I buy everything online now so I support this 100%. Do you think that corona will influence consumers buying behaviour?
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I believe it already has. Many online stores are struggling to keep up with this new demand… it’s quite alarming. Thank you for reading though!
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Great post! Personally, I enjoy shopping online compared to in store… do you think other consumers are like this as well?
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Yeah for sure other consumers would have the same opinion as you. I feel as though it is a lot more convenient and is more likely to have stock compared to physical brick and mortar businesses. Thank you for reading!
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This current situation has really increased a need for e-business models. Thank you for this article!
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This pandemic is such a weird experience and is so different for everyone. I feel extremely bad for the businesses who have not been able to function due to not being set up online.
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A well written article! I certainly wonder if most physical stores (excluding restaurants and others that must be physical) will lessen in number as online shopping and e-business proliferates.
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This is great! Especially for businesses who are striving to get their brand out there. They could take advantage of online advertisements for their products to be discovered. Being able to search something that I need online is so much more convenient, because prices can be easily compared by the consumer on what fits his/her budget. Also, having people give their personal reviews could help identify the legitimacy of the business.
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I completely agree with you! There are a lot of businesses that do not use this to their advantage. Thank you for reading!
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A very insightful post that i think most businesses should apply especially during these times. As you said, the amount of convenience online shopping provides for us consumers has much more advantages than physical stores. However, a primary concern i see some people have is the trustworthiness and security for online transactions. Despite this, the advantages still outweigh the aforementioned concerns especially in this internet-driven society.
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I completely agree it is somewhat dangerous. Many consumers, especially older ones, need to be more educated in identifying scams and frauds but I think after some form of education is introduced to them it would be much safer.
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Interesting blog and I agree that businesses do need to consider having an online store for their customers with their physical stores. In relation to the topic, do you think online stores would eventually take over the market and physical stores would eventually close?
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I could see this happening for some stores such as clothes but there’s a lot of stores that I would personally miss if they become exclusively online. The physical experience of a supermarket is no where near as good using uber eats or their online sites.
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