Life without the internet is like eating bread without butter, it is like walking in the pitch black darkness. You know what I mean? It is the nightmare. We simply cannot imagine our lives without it. Even though that time existed, those were ancient times. The global network has changed how we live in and outside of our homes. More people are making online purchases now because it is easier that way due to the shortage of time in today’s fast-paced world. Ecommerce has affected each one of us and convenience is its biggest advantage. You can shop from the comfort of your home while sitting with a bathrobe on and drinking coffee, making it appealing to modern consumers. You can shop anywhere, anytime.

Some people might wonder, is ecommerce legit? Is online shopping safe?

Their concerns are valid. There are certain risks associated with running an online business. In this article, we’ll focus on the following:

• What Does Ecommerce Mean? What Are the Advantages of E-commerce?
• What Are Key Risks to Shopping Online?
• How to Check If an Ecommerce Website is Legitimate or Trying to Scam You?
• Is Electronic Commerce Worth it?

What Does Ecommerce mean?

You must have heard about ecommerce before but if some of you have forgotten let’s refresh our memory. So, what is it?

E-commerce, also known as electronic commerce, is the process of buying and selling goods by businesses and consumers over the World Wide Web. In other words, it is an online business in which all the transactions are conducted over an electronic network where the seller and buyer are in different places. These transactions are:

• Business-to-business (B2B).  It is when small businesses and big companies sell their goods and services to one another. 
• Business-to-consumer (B2C). It is when businesses sell their goods and services directly to individual consumers for personal use. 
• Consumer-to-consumer (C2C). It is when individual consumers exchange goods and services or they use third parties to do so. 
• Consumer-to-business (С2B). It is when individuals like freelancers sell their goods and services to a business.  

‍Electronic commerce also includes online auctions, internet banking, payment gateways, and online ticketing. Today you can buy almost anything through e-commerce without leaving your apartment or home.

Just imagine this situation. It’s raining heavily outside. It’s cold and windy. You need to buy food because you have nothing left in the fridge. You need to get off the couch and get dressed. And on top of that, you aren’t feeling well and you don’t feel like cooking. What can you do? You can choose and order your favorite food online using your phone or laptop. Isn’t it convenient? You will get a cooked meal delivered right to your door at any time.

Using e-commerce is beneficial for both consumers and entrepreneurs.

‍Advantages for consumers

‍So why do you buy products or services online?

• Saves your time

It saves traveling time. You won’t get stuck in a traffic jam to get to the store. Once you get there, you don’t have to spend your precious time waiting in a queue.

• You can shop without leaving the house

You will need a working computer or mobile phone with a stable internet connection. Pick the items you need. Fill in the payment details field, and voila, it’s on your way.

• There’s a variety of products and services to choose from

It’s one of the biggest advantages. There’s no shortage of products or services to choose from. It gives you many options when shopping online. To prevent it we recommend a secure VPN connection, this will completely hide the identity and encrypt data to save your business from any attack. With so many options online, even the most affordable VPN will guarantee good internet security.

• Detailed information about the products and reviews

You can get full information about the desired products. You can read product reviews before making a purchasing decision

• You can compare models/brands and prices

It is easier to compare models/brands and prices.

‍Advantages for business owners

• Low costs and easier to scale up

You don’t need a lot of capital to start your online business. It saves your money since there is no need for a physical store. You don’t need to hire staff for your e-commerce store as you can do it all by yourself but as your business grows you might need an extra pair of hands. Expanding a physical store needs more floor space and it comes with a cost. When it comes to growing an e-commerce store, it’s much simpler. What you need are more inventory and some digital adjustments.

• Customer data

 You can get some valuable information about your customers as they provide their names, email, address, and phone number when registering on your website. You can find out about their buying habits and what devices they are using.

• A broad range of customers

Online selling can help you expand your reach and increase sales without leaving your country. When you go online, you can sell your products and services to people from all over the world. Geographical boundaries are no longer a barrier. You are no longer restricted to customers who live in your area. You get a perfect opportunity to scale your e-commerce business globally.

• Availability

Being online means your store is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Your potential customers can make purchases all day, every day from across the globe. The weather conditions and heavy traffic won’t affect your sales process.

What Are Key Risks To Shopping Online?  

Despite the obvious advantages e-commerce has, there are certain risks when you shop online.

‍Fake websites. They sell fake products by using low prices to trick shoppers into buying nonexistent products. The shopping site itself can vanish.

Viruses. Your computer could quickly become infected with malware and viruses through a bad link, website, or advertisement.

Hacked account. There’s always a chance someone may try to hack your email account and password associated with your purchase. If you use the same login information elsewhere, hackers can gain access to those accounts, too.

Stolen financial information. Hackers may have complete access to your finances if they have access to your bank and credit card information.

Identity theft. You can become a victim of identity theft if personal information is compromised.

Even though the future of online payments seems to be bright, there are security vulnerabilities. The possibility of scams like hacking, identity theft, and credit card scams still exists. So one must be careful when shopping online.

‍How to Check If an Ecommerce Website is Legitimate or Trying to Scam You?

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“Contact Us” and “About Us” pages

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You need to check if a website has a “Contact Us” page otherwise it is a fraudulent site. But if it does have a “Contact Us” page then the information must be full and complete. It must include the name of the company, address, phone number, or email address. Moreover, it must include a good “About Us” page.

Deep Discounts

As we’ve told before any shopping website where discounts are too good to be true is a fake website. Even though we love a nice bargain, you don’t want to buy a nonexistent product. An unbelievably low price is a serious red flag that you should never ignore.

Poor Grammar and Spelling

 Mistakes happen. We all make them but if there are too many mistakes, it means you need to navigate away from this website. Spelling and grammar mistakes are common in fraudulent websites.

URL Should Start with HTTPS

A secure URL always begins with HTTPS at the beginning and when you see the small black padlock icon next to the site name, you know that this shopping site is legit and has the SSL certificate.

Return and Privacy Policies

Many legitimate shopping websites have a Privacy policy available to their potential customers. Apart from the privacy policy, it’s also worth checking if the site has a return policy. It should also disclose its data processing practices to you and provide instructions on where and how to return defective goods.

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‍Company’s Social Media Pages and Reviews

You need to check out if the company has a presence on the major social media platforms. Pay attention to online reviews because they can also be fake. Some of them may even sound the same.

Is Electronic Commerce worth it?

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With digitalization and increased demand for online shopping, starting an e-commerce business seems like a good idea. Plus, the Covid-19 has dramatically affected online retail sales since early 2020.

As more businesses are online, the competition is high among e-commerce firms. It might be a bit hard for small businesses to get started, but this type of investment provides a relatively low risk. Unfortunately, things won’t get easier in the next few years because of the impending recession. And even then, there are many resources available for you to help you start your online store with less capital or for free. If you are considering a dropshipping business, it is possible to start dropshipping without money. It might be a bit too oversaturated but it all depends on the niche you choose to invest your time and money. Ecommerce is completely possible as long as you are ready to put in the work. One of the best platforms to build a website is Shopify and a great alternative is Appy Pie Website.

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Statistics show that e-commerce works and will still work. Its future looks bright. Ecommerce is much simpler and less expensive than a traditional business model. Even though there are some online scams that make you ask yourself: “Is ecommerce legit?” Yes is the answer. It is legit and it will do better in the future.

‍Wrapping Up

Starting an eCommerce business is totally worthwhile and is legit. So, if you want to succeed you need to be dedicated and have a strong work ethic. You need to understand all the benefits and drawbacks of it. Start taking action and keep on working!

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