Ecommerce vs Online shopping - What are the differences?

The last time you visited an online store, how do you undergo your online shopping journey?

Chances are that you insert some search queries for the product you intended of buying.

After all, you went ahead for online purchases.

Right?

Do you know how you just undergo your online shopping journey?

Here's what you ever did:

.....Think - Do - Care stages.

For example, let's say you've been so interested in buying some sneakers before now.

Tell me, what's the next thing that will be on your mind?

Doing some Google search, right?

You're right.

Without hesitation, you'll thereby pick up your phone, type in the keyword of the product in Google search box and Google will show you relevant products based on the keyword.

In summary of it all, everything that you just did above is what I called Online shopping.

Okay?

Furthermore, when you Google search about a product, do you know it's not enough to justify the keyword?

Here's it.

Imagine that when you type in some search queries and you found out that none of the products in search result lists suit your interest.

Tell me, how will that make you feel?

It sucks, right?

Because that really it sucks.

That's more of the reason that Ecommerce websites make changes to this problem.

Ecommerce is the reason that online shoppers can make some electronic payments and get their order without even thinking of visiting the physical shop.

So, what is this E-commerce?

Remember, the history of Ecommerce started 40 years ago, and to this day, what really changes is the technology, the innovation, and businesses adopting the influence of the marketplace each year.

In fact, a lot happened before online shopping became possible due to the power of the internet in 1991.

But before online shopping goes live, can you guess what happened?

It's just simple, and it just because of electronic data interchanges and teleshopping in the 1970s paved the way for the modern-day Ecommerce store.

While Amazon became the prime focus of the Ecommerce site in the US  to start selling products and since then other businesses started adopting this selling marketplace.

Remember, online shopping?

It was invented in 1979 by Michael Aldrich in the united kingdom.

Do you know that he connected a modified domestic television via a telephone line to a real-time multi-user transaction processing computer for online shopping experience?

After all, it was marketed until the year 1980 and offered a b2b kind of modem that were sold in the UK.

Sadly, the online transaction wasn't live not until the year 1972 that Standford students sold marijuana to MIT students via an Arpanet account at their AL lab.

But, do you know that internet transaction wasn't live then, can you guess when?

Well, the first internet transaction took place some 20 years back, with the headline "the internet is open", in the year 1994.

Fast-forward to the year 2017, according to Wikipedia source,  Global ecommerce transaction generates $29.267 trillion, including $25.516 trillion for business to business(B2B) transactions and $3.851 trillion for business to consumer(B2C) sales. 

So, what does that means to you?

And, what is Ecommerce?

Ecommerce or Ecommerce business is just a fancy name of buying and selling products via electronic impulses over the internet.

Or a simpler version.

Ecommerce is any form of attracting online shoppers to buy or make online purchases.

That's the reason it has been around for the past 40 years, it doesn't necessarily have to involve online shoppers to visit your online store, just with an internet connection is even enough to make purchases.

On the other hand, Ecommerce can only be done online(just because of the internet connection).

Uh! what about offline marketing?

If you're wondering about that, Ecommerce has nothing to do with offline leads intent.

Why?

Just because it's more of internet and online purchases.

But the product delivery is done offline.

Just think of it this way. Remember, local searches?

• Do you know that 70% of Nigerians who do a local search on their smartphone call a store within 24 hours?
• 30% of online shoppers in Nigeria are looking for local information.
• 25% of online shoppers in Nigeria learn about local Ecommerce sites online than anywhere.
• 45% of searches about near me product in Nigeria results in online purchases.
• Near me, search queries will grow up to more than 400% in Nigeria by the year 2021.

The spread of people using mobile devices is growing more rapidly, and according to the research smartphone users will grow more than 140 million in Nigeria by 2025.

You're wondering, how?

It's just because it's African giants, and technology is the reason that teenagers can make some Nairas playing games online.

With Nigerians spending, on average, 12+ hours on the internet, every single day. There's still much to say about the online shoppers.

So, what is online shopping?

If you're wondering what online shopping is, it's just a fancy name that allows consumers or end-users to buy products directly from an Ecommerce or merchandize store over the internet using any responsive gadget.

Or a simpler version:

Online shopping is form of interaction that ends with a purchase from an online retail store.

Now, what are the challenges of Ecommerce?

If you're to grow your Ecommerce store and make sales it's necessary for you as an online merchant to understand the challenges ahead.

So, some facts:

The first challenge of Ecommerce is the ability to be able to spend big and get your content marketing right away.

See, just look at Domino's pizza, when I did Google search about pizza near me,

Here's what I saw below:

Not just because is Domino, because it's the front runner in the world of pizza.

No! it's just because they spend big to acquire more in sales, and they were able to do that to compete everywhere.

I bet you, if you're finding it hard to spend big with your Ecommerce site, the big knock is that you ain't going to compete anywhere, and your competitors will.

Another challenge of Ecommerce is that online shoppers are becoming to behave as detractors.

And the reason for this is because businesses are adopting more of technology which leads consumers to make choices in their online purchases.

So, the problems and challenges of Ecommerce in Nigeria are:

1. You must spend big to acquire big in sales
2. Online shoppers are becoming to behave as detractors.
3. Technology is shifting the sales funnel.
4. Optimizing for SEO is another big reason because of the algorithm change.
5. Using marketing automation to nurture leads intent into sales is hard these days.
6. Lack of mobile responsiveness which is unique to the user experience.
7. High level of competition.
8. Creating a delightful buyer's journey is another big factor.
9. Ability to churn out your unique selling proposition
10. The auction system(paid ads) is becoming more competitive.
11. High level of marketers investing in Google my business
12. High level of the online store created daily.

Also, the problems and challenges of online shoppers in Nigeria:

1. The ability not to gain online shoppers for trust and credibility
2. Bad reviews of your products and services.
3. Poor content marketing.
4. Poor marketing outreach.
5. Inability to resonate with the consumer's needs.
6. Not getting the online shoppers for the word of mouth marketing.
7. Not optimizing for mobile searchers
8. The ability not to optimize for local searchers
9. The ability not to build online shoppers for fans for your business.
10. Lack of incentives.

In other words, the importance of Ecommerce in Nigeria:

1. It brings your online store into focus
2. It helps you generate more online buyers.
3. Ecommerce business helps you flourish your sales funnel.
4. With online marketing today, it helps with bringing your brand out to be a credible one.
5. It helps attract international buyers.
6. More leads intent, equal more in sales

Well, because we know that the history of Ecommerce in Nigeria really doesn't have a basic analogy and clarity but one basic truth is that Ecommerce sites like Jumia, Konga, and more are front runners of the Ecommerce business in Nigeria.

Conclusion

Since you have got a better understanding of the difference between Ecommerce and Online shopping.

Also, it's best you know that one of the advantages of these Ecommerce and online shopping is centralized around your buyers(The ability to create a unique user experience that will make them buy right away).

So whatever method or marketing tactics you're churning out the end-product is to get those potential buyers for sales.

Right?

As an online merchant that's so important. 

Then, how your Ecommerce site looks like will determine how online shoppers will take a delightful journey to buy.

So, over to you, Ecommerce and online shopping - what are the differences?

I'm Destined boy, a certified digital and inbound marketer.

Follow @Blogdestined