E-Commerce is Changing the Game but at what Cost?
Online shopping has completely changed the way people view and approach shopping. Nowadays, consumers are able to purchase virtually anything with a few quick clicks of their computer mouse. There are little to no limitations on what can and cannot be bought online making for an even more competitive industry. The simplicity, endless possibilities and convenience of online shopping has had a major impact on consumers both nationally and internationally. Although online shopping has numerous benefits, this groundbreaking tool has also begun raising sustainability concerns. For these many reasons, both in person and online shopping continue to stay at a steady rate of success. In the end, it comes down to each individual consumer’s preference.
The breakthrough of e-commerce has had quite an impact on brick-and-mortar stores and the way they run their business. To help put it into perspective, online shopping has caused an estimated four percent decrease in the amount of money spent at physical stores. Due to this, many brick-and-mortar stores have opened online stores for customers to shop at as well. This gives consumers multiple options and also helps increase sales for the company. In addition, having online sales as an option allows companies and stores to offer a wider variety of products as well as more product substitutes. Another advantage is that businesses are able to sustain themselves without needing to have a physical store up and running because e-commerce alone is profitable enough to stay in business. Especially from a business perspective, e-commerce has many benefits that are hard to ignore. Unfortunately, these benefits also come with disadvantages as well as many consequences.
E-commerce has evolved over time and worked through various issues but some things can’t always be avoided or fixed. One disadvantage of online shopping is that oftentimes it can be more expensive than in person shopping. Products go through a long, and sometimes pricey, process in order to be delivered to customers. There is the initial price of the product as well as taxes but in addition, e-commerce often requires payment for shipping and handling. The cost of shipping varies widely but it is not uncommon for shipping to end up being the same price, if not more than the original product. On top of the price, online shopping also requires a lot more patience. In recent years, shipping times have improved and become shorter but it still is not as instant as in person shopping. Something people sometimes forget to consider about e-commerce is the increased chances of facing fraudulent transactions and scam offers. In general these things are easily avoidable but that does not mean it is impossible to end up being scammed. Additionally, many consumers have brought up their concerns on how e-commerce is negatively affecting the planet.
Many consumers fail to consider how the environment is impacted by online shopping. It is easy to miss these things because the world wide web and the environment often seem unrelated to one another. In reality though, these two things have a lot more to do with each other than most people realize. One of the biggest impacts of e-commerce on the environment is due to product shipping. Transporting goods from a warehouse to the customer is neither cheap nor sustainable. Oftentimes a product is transported using shipment trucks, planes and even boats. All of these things leave a substantial carbon footprint over time. Transportation alone has a large negative effect on the environment and unfortunately this is only one of the many aspects of e-commerce that is bad for the environment.
Another important thing to consider is product packaging. Product packaging is responsible for increasing waste in landfills as well as increased CO2 emissions from creating plastics. Most products are not shipped in their original packaging. Instead they are usually shipped in a larger box that has additional protective packaging like bubble wrap or packing peanuts. It is not uncommon for these extra “protective” measures to fail, meaning a product arrives damaged. It is extremely wasteful to include so much extra packaging especially when it fails to do the intended job. When products are shipped to physical stores, they tend to be packed in the most efficient way possible. Fitting more items in one box is often prioritized, likely to decrease shipping costs. When individual products are packed for shipping, this is hardly the case. The overuse of product packaging is less than sustainable and continues to negatively impact the environment.
It is safe to say that both online shopping and in person shopping will continue to remain steady industries in the future. E-commerce has been a groundbreaking advancement but it is yet to completely replace brick-and-mortar stores. Luckily, when taking the benefits, disadvantages and environmental impacts into consideration it can be said that e-commerce can be beneficial when done effectively. While there is not yet a solution to transforming online shopping into a sustainable industry, there are plenty of ways to help work towards it. The National Institutes of Health suggests people shop locally, place larger online orders to reduce packaging and look into companies who are environmentally friendly. Doing so will not single handedly solve the issue at hand but it is a step in the right direction.
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