If you haven’t already noticed, but a lot, if not most big-box retailers with brick and mortar locations are either going out of business, minimizing its locations, or making transitions to meet online demand. Physically going to a store will be a thing in the past. Everything has gone virtual, and you can order almost anything online and have it delivered to your doorsteps within days. Some businesses even offer the convenience of free shipping and returns, so that they can have your business. E-commerce doesn’t only provide convenience, but it also offers competitive pricing and discounts. You shop and compare prices amongst other online retailers to find the best price, and some businesses even offer price matching. Most online stores offer an additional percentage off with just a simple email sign up, and some have additional discount codes you can apply during checkout to save even more. The online stores give you all the information about the product, and on top, they have more variety of choices and options. If you’ve gone to the business’s brick and mortar location, they wouldn’t even offer these services or options.

For those who live in the metropolitan area, traveling might not be as stressful, and there might be multiple store locations within the same area. What about for those who don’t live in metro areas and has to drive everywhere, they would have to commit 30mins driving there and another 30mins driving back, pay for gas, toll, and parking, and what if the store don’t have what you need, it would’ve been a waste of time and money. Some people are busy, can’t find the time to go to the store, and some might be lazy, don’t want to make the trip. Personally, the only time I shop in a physical store is when I need that item right then and there and can not wait a few days. I’m sure I can speak for most of us, we all enjoy the convenience, also alongside saving some money, so that’s why I say everyone will depend on E-commerce.

We are ALL in uncharted waters right now. Never have anyone experienced this recent pandemic in modern times. The world is in lockdown; the things we took for granted are no longer accessible; the joy of freedom to walk down the street without worrying is considered a privilege. In certain countries, leaving your property without permission gets you fined or even arrested. Now that everyone is at home, people are either playing games, communicating with friends and family, surfing the web, watching videos and movies, working remotely, zoom meetings with colleagues and professors, shopping, or e-commerce. The one thing these all have in common is the internet. We have never depended more on the internet than we do now. According to NBC, “overall internet traffic was up 31% on Friday, March 27, compared to the same day last month. In addition, cell phone calls were up 32% on the same day, and Wi-Fi calls were up 82%.” (nbcdfw.com)

Being that everyone is on lockdown, all non-essential businesses with brick and mortar locations are closed. But guess what business remained open throughout this pandemic, and will always remain open regardless of any world events, E-commerce. The e-com world is BOOMING!!! Everyone is shopping with all this free time in their hands. I’m not going to say all e-com businesses are making money; not everyone is spending money like they were before because they’re out of work. E-commerce is the central aspect of a company where it remains open and working regardless of what’s occurring, 24/7, but of course, with the help of the internet.

Either people aren’t able to go to their local store for food and supplies, or they’re scared for their health and safety. There’s also a shortage in most things, either scarce or sold out, so it would be a waste of time making that scary trip to the store. The last and best option would be ordering off an e-com business, delivered to your doorsteps. An e-com business I’m sure we’re all familiar with that has almost all your needs, can be delivered to you within a day or two, is Amazon. In its first quarter of 2020, Amazon made $75.5 billion in sales, whereas it earned $59.7 billion during the same time last year. During this pandemic, “The company’s website traffic surged to 2.54 billion visitors in March alone, a 65 percent jump from the year before.” Most companies are laying off their employees, but Amazon is hiring more employees. In my opinion, e-commerce is the way of business now and in the future. (nbcnews.com)

• Russell, Ben. “Internet Usage Up During Pandemic.” NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, 30 Mar. 2020, www.nbcdfw.com/news/coronavirus/internet-usage-up-during-pandemic/2341729/.
• Miranda, Leticia. “Amazon Has Been Indispensable during the Pandemic – but It’s Clear Who Really Wins.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 1 May 2020, www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/amazon-has-been-indispensable-during-pandemic-it-s-clear-who-n1197341.

Times have changed; people are adapting, everything and everyone has transitioned and relies on the internet. The internet has taken over most of our daily lives, it becomes more innovative, and we depend more on it. We use it for everything to making our lives easier, communicating with people, keeping track of data, solving problems, gaming, work, school, learning, shopping, and the list goes on, but my main focus would be e-commerce. Most online businesses use e-commerce as a way to generate income. E-commerce is also known as “electronic commerce or internet commerce, refers to the buying and selling of goods or services using the internet, and the transfer of money and data to execute these transactions” (Shopify).

In this present time, as an adult, you need a job or income. Many newer companies/startups have ditched the old traditional ways of having a physical office or having employees come into the office to work. These companies encourage the employees to work remotely online, giving the employee absolute freedom to work wherever, however. The employee can work from home, in bed, in his underwear or halfway around the world on a beach in Bora Bora, sipping on a Pina colada, and all the work can be done from your laptop or smartphone as long as you have internet.

What if you combined both, you work remotely, however, and whenever, doing e-commerce? You work for no one but yourself, you set your own schedule, and there’s no limit on how much you can earn. If you’re feeling a little off this month and only earned $1,000, you can make it up next month, hustle harder and earn $30,000; it is entirely up to you. If you worked for a company, no matter how hard you worked, how much you sold, you would have a cap on how much you can earn. Instead of making your employer richer, but not yourself, how about we change that, and you can make yourself more money.