I have been shopping online for almost 7 years now and have chosen different platforms for different needs according to my experience. I shop electronics from Amazon, apparels from Myntra, baby products & toys from Flipkart, groceries from big basket and blink it (grofers), order food from zomato and swiggy and pay bills through Paytm and gpay.
After doing shopping on regular basis from different e-commerce platforms and discussing them with friends and family members, I have concluded that five main factors make e-commerce platforms customer friendly.
User Interface
User Interface is the first thing that attracts customers towards the platform. And all the e-commerce giants put in a lot of work in making the user interface fun and interactive. Graphics and themes attract the customers and make them visit the platform again and again. E-commerce platforms try to attract customers by changing their themes according to festivals throughout the year and have been successful in retaining them.
Variety
The second most important factor is variety. The e-commerce platform which provides the most varied collection retains the most number of customers. Whether it is apparels, groceries or food, I always land up on those e-commerce platforms that provide me variety. Over the period, I have seen e-commerce platforms going down because of sticking to one product or they have asked bigger platforms to sell their products. So the variety of products makes e-commerce platforms customer friendly.
Convenience
This is probably the best part of e-commerce platforms. They provide you to shop at your convenience from wherever you want and whenever you want. I shop groceries monthly without stepping out of my house and they have started delivering within half an hour. I often satisfy my evening snack cravings by ordering dishes at my workplace. This kind of convenience pulls customers back on the platform and once they are addicted to it, there is no going back.
Competitive Price
Recently, I went shopping and bought some winter wear for my son. Shopkeeper reduced only Rs. 30 on the total after a lot of bargaining. My wife came home checked the price of the same things online. After checking that, she realised we are cheated by the shopkeeper. Now she always checks the online prices before shopping for anything and if she feels that price is less than what her sources stated then she shops online. In short, e-commerce platforms always pull customers back by providing the real and competitive price of the product or service.
Deals
My shopping around the year revolve around the deals on e-commerce platforms. They say deals and shopping festivals are just marketing gimmicks to bring customers on the platform. On that, I would say that e-commerce platforms are performing those gimmicks well because they fetch most of the customers by promoting marketing deals and shopping festivals. And I think I get a great deal more often than not.
In my opinion, these are the main factors which make e-commerce platforms customer friendly. Tell your thoughts on these in the comment section below.
This post is written as part of Blogchatter’s campaign #ECommerceBuildsEconomy
Yes the five factors which you have concluded are really great for making user friendly e commerce platform. These factors meets the customers expectations
E-commerce is undoubtedly one of India’s fastest-growing industries. As a result, online shopping is expanding at an alarming rate. Factors mentioned by you meets the customer’s expectations.
– Anjali
E-commerce sites are time saving and hassle free. It gives great deals that saves money too. Very informative and so true that e-commerce is the new future.
I rely on online shopping portals for the smallest of things. I totally second the thought that such portals have revolutionized the entire shopping experience.
Good deals and availability of a variety of brands at the tap of a finger are the main reasons why ecommerce websites are so customer friendly. Other points you’ve mentioned are so true and valid too.
Oh yes I am an avid online shopper and the frequency has just quadrupled due to the pandemic. E-commerce platforms provide so much of variety and best deals for sure.
I think most of us are buying things online as it is convenient at the same time secure. Competitive prices is definitely one of the reason I go for online shopping as you can see variety of products under one roof.
The 5 factors shared with you are absolutely bang on, I completely agree with you. Ecommerce has changed the way we shop and in the last 2 years, I think most of us would have been a part of this change.
I have too been into online shopping from a very long time and agree that we get such a lot of variety to choose from at the convenience of our home. And the ease of payment, delivery and exchange is just so good.
I love online shopping and completely agree with the five factors you have listed . E commerce platforms provides so much of variety