By Mirriam Akbar
The World Wide Web has made buying a whole lot easier. It seems that everyone in one way or another contributes to this industry, whether it’s a buyer, or a seller. It is usually someone looking for a product that cannot be found in the region that they live in, or finds that it’s sold much cheaper online. Whatever the case may be, it’s definitely brought convenience to our lives.
When you think of online shopping you automatically think of online retail companies such as Amazon, eBay, and Etsy. Then we have other retail companies that have brick and mortar shops, but have storefronts online as well. Some of these companies were established just ten to fifteen years ago, and they’ve gradually become successful over time.
At first companies provided small sized products with limited ranges. Now they provide virtually everything, including clothes, electronics, and even furniture. What’s new about companies such as Amazon, eBay, and Etsy, is that they are now allowing people to sell their own products on their platforms, circumventing the need to open their own shops. Both the retail companies and costumers have made a fair amount of profit though this arrangement.
These trading options have changed the way people run their daily lives.
Companies have also adapted to these new buying behaviours and marketing dynamics. With the help of social media, companies are able to attract more buyers, and let them know when there are flash sales or incentives such as free shipping and discounted offers.
Over the years as companies saw the rise of purchases being made online, they came up with the concept of “Cyber-Monday,” not unlike the sales phenomena known as “Black Friday” – that happen during holidays.
Within the UAE the trend is also taking off. If you explore the world of online shopping you will find many UAE based shops that sell everything from abayas, hijabs and dresses to accessories and home-ware. It’s made commerce easier for business owners and buyers. It is enabling entrepreneurs in the UAE to reach out to buyers beyond these borders.
