Global On-Line Shopping
CONSUMER JUSTICE CONCORD
Without a doubt, there has never been as much attention or as much focus given to on-line shopping as there is today. Before any global pandemic or national or regional quarantines, on-line shopping was growing year in and year out, as the Internet grew. But then, on-line shopping exploded into the current behemoth we have today. This massive phenomenon internationally is quite something. Because of the fact that the Covid-19 pandemic created such panic, such fears, many governments were forced to act in looking to keep their own people safe, even alive. Everywhere you look today, everywhere you turn, all you hear about is Covid-19. It has a massive presence on the internet, on television, all public media, everywhere. So as people have had to remain sequestered in their own homes, it very quickly became much harder to get a person’s needs met. That in turn forced people to turn to the internet to get their supplies. So whether its new eye-glasses, body soap, new shoes, a coat or even a new television, consumers everywhere very quickly came to realize that on-line shopping was the very best way to get their needs taken care of under the circumstances.
It is truly hard to imagine a group of sellers who are more diverse or spread out as on-line sellers are. These sellers cover a wide variety of goods globally. Of those which are getting at least one million visitors a month each, the following table should be noted:
| Rank | Product Category Sold | Number of On-line Stores | Total Visits Per Month, Al |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | General | 77 | 15,000,000,000 |
| 2 | Fashion | 22 | 431,700,000 |
| 3 | Electronics | 5 | 289,300,000 |
| 4 | Housewares | 6 | 192,,900,000 |
| 5 | Book | 5 | 44,300,000 |
| 6 | Arts – Crafts – Gifts | 3 | 279,000,000 |
| 7 | Music | 2 | 73,300,000 |
| 8 | Collectables – Antiques | 2 | 5,100,000 |
| 9 | Musical Instruments | 1 | 15,400,000 |
| 10 | Weapons | 1 | 11,200,000 |
| 11 | Toys | 1 | 3,700,000 |
| TOTAL | 125 | 16,351,900,000 |
Over the last 10 months and now as we move into 2021, the numbers of on-line stores and merchants is continually expanding. There are new on-line stores being established virtually every day. The new merchants all look to meet people’s needs in some way or fashion. Anything from the smallest needs to even the biggest things that people could ever want. These on-line stores hope to supply anything and everything that their customers might wish for. Everyone wants to get in into this massive global new industry.
So essentially what is taking place now is that on-line stores have overwhelmed if not replaced the old ‘bricks and mortar’ stores we used to so heavily rely upon before. Now, in this ‘new normal’ social environment, on-line shopping is likely to be people’s sole channel to get their needs met. With all the social distancing and rules that people are expected to follow, lunch at the shopping mall is happening like it used to.
When looking at the international presence that these merchants represent, on-line stores are located in:
| Africa | Australia | Brazil | China |
| Canada | Czech Republic | Denmark | France |
| Germany | Hungary | Indonesia | Italy |
| Japan | Kazakhstan | Malaysia | Mexico |
| Middle East | Nederland’s | New Zealand | Nigeria |
| Philippines | Poland | Romania | Russia |
| Scandinavia | Southeast Asia | South Korea | Sweden |
| Switzerland | Turkey | United Kingdom | United States |
The point is that while yes, the phenomenon of on-line shopping has been amazing to observe through it growth. Between all of the health concerns, social distancing, quarantines, etc. which people still face today, on-line shopping has had some serious help from of all things, a virus. It’s a fact that we all now live with. But this on-line shopping phenomenon does have it challenges. More of which we will certainly get into. But let us assure you of one thing; we are here to protect you and help you through it all.