This is why we're so lucky that eCommerce exists today; because it has made life easier on everyone during times of crisis like these. It's also allowed us as a society to be more connected than ever before, thanks to its ability to spread information quickly around our globe.
In this article, "E-commerce" refers to incorporating a buying transaction over the Internet, including online shopping and auctions.
While writing about this, what came into our mind initially was - How E-commerce can help save humanity from a deadly disease? To answer that, let's go back in time…way back before we knew what e-commerce is today. Back when it was only something which was just being imagined by some people who were disconnected from the outer world through traditional media!!
Before getting into details, let's understand how things work out today. The financial world is much more complex today than it was back then, the Black Swan idea (by Nassim Taleb) has come into the picture since then, and many concepts like this have become a part of modern-day economics and finance. The way things work in the financial space could be vastly different from what we expect them to be.
Let's take an example - In the COVID-19 pandemic, e-commerce played its role for two reasons:
I. Strongly connected infrastructure of the Internet
II. Availability of enough resources within reach of common people through E-commerce transactions
Why didn't it work before? How did E-commerce kick during the COVID-19 pandemic? E-commerce came to the rescue of people because of two reasons:
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The Internet was a lot stronger and interconnected than it was in the past,
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More people could make transactions using their personal computers than they could have done with standard methods before the COVID-19 pandemic hit us!!!
Let's look into each of these points one at a time
Connectivity
The Internet today is confined within geographical boundaries and has also gone global. There are no language barriers over the internet like it used to be back then!
It does not matter where you are on this planet earth or where your target audience resides; you can avoid language barriers and connect with them easily via the Internet. There are no boundaries of nations or languages.
Accessibility
One of the primary reasons for not using e-commerce during the COVID-19 pandemic was that only a small part of our population had access to personal computers before the pandemic struck. A computer and internet connection used to be very expensive in the past. Telecom operators were also trying to put monopoly over these services like it is today. Only those who could afford these services would have been able to use them. In such a scenario, most people remained disconnected from the outside world, which inadvertently reduced their ability to perform transactions through E-commerce during the pandemic period.
On the contrary, today, most people on this planet earth own a personal computer with an internet connection. Some people can also access the internet through their cell phones which is like a smartphone these days! This makes it easier for common people to search and buy products online from anywhere, even if they don't have radio, television, or newspapers at their homes nearby. People used e-commerce services as an alternate means of trading during the COVID-19 pandemic period because almost everyone had access to the Internet around that time.
If we look into things closely, we will notice that there were two significant reasons why E-commerce came in handy during the COVID-19 pandemic periods: more connected infrastructure over the Internet and easy availability of more resources for common people due to E-commerce transactions made by them.
E-commerce is a significant player in the global economy and has been for some time. The COVID-19 pandemic was no different, as it took hold across much of the world without warning or any precedent to get people prepared. Luckily, many retailers could stay afloat by using eCommerce platforms that allowed them to continue selling products even when there wasn't electricity available or business hours in their region. Thanks to these companies' efforts during this trying time, they served their customers and helped keep the economies churning with money coming in from all over the globe. It's an interesting story about how one industry can help save another in need.