Hi all,
I’m doing a research project as e-Commerce for our topic. I’ve been informed of many pros of implementing e-Commerce to a business, but haven’t heard many cons. Can any of you assist me and provide some reasons why a business shouldn’t follow e-Commerce and any cons associated around it?
Thank you kindly,
Student Inquiry
I can list a lot of pain points associated with launching an ecommerce business most of which are really transition issues from closed to open but in terms of an actual reason not to do it? Ecommerce is not a debatable part of business anymore so asking for cons that go against doing it at all is kind of like asking what the cons are for selling in general.
Some of the common issues that businesses have to sort through before adding ecommerce:
One of the largest Cons of operating an ecommerce website is the lack of understanding of PCI requirements.
Open source software cannot be PCI or PA (payment application) certified because it’s open source.
Merchants must use PCI and/or PA certified solutions. These include shopping cart software, online payment gateways, card swipe machines, computer software, and even mobile applications. Merchants who fail to meet PCI requirements can, forever, lose their ability to accept credit/debit cards. This can really harm a business.
As “experts” we, as web designers/developers/solution providers must provide our clients with solutions that will help them remain in business.
I hope this helps.
Johnny Mazuma
Other things worth considering include:
E-Commerce sites create transparent pricing, your prospective customers can easily compare your prices without visiting your B&M premises where you could ‘sell’ yourself and your products. Competitors can likewise easily see what promotions/deals you are offering
E-commerce WILL take up more of the business owners time than he/she realises…timewasters/price updates/arranging deliveries(many B&M businesses are collect only)/SEO/Google Products listing etc
Customer expectations of e-commerce is not always realistic - many seem to think that as soon as they click ‘buy’ the goods get packed and shipped
E-commerce sites are subject to some pretty tough regulations that dont apply to B&M sites - for instance if you buy some things online you can take delivery, rip the packaging apart and discard it, use the product for a few weeks, and then return it without having to give a reason and get a full refund (excludes specially made & personalised goods). Try doing that at your local store!
Some of the Cons of E-commerce business are…
You can not examine the product personally.
There is no possible for all people to buy on internet.
You also can get enthusiastic.
There is also possibility of hacking your credit card number.
Very few stocks available on internet in major case.
Those are cons for buyers [with varying degrees of truth to them] but not for selling online [although knowing what to consider / address is critical to driving results].
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