This week's discussion is going to be very interesting. In our
household, we have regular chats about how online shopping
(primarily through amazon) has shaped our lives as customers and the
lives of more traditional companies. I will admit, I love amazon.
However, I think the company has a lot of room to grow regarding
the TBL framework (I felt this way long before taking this course). My
husband used to oppose amazon services but has come to love their
convenience. The "Amazon effect" is the effect that "the entire digital
marketplace has had on traditional forms of commerce" (Grosman,
2018).
I have noticed very early that shopping on amazon has made me
unusually impatient (and it seems I am not alone). I used to live in a
larger city that offered same-day delivery. It's a luxury one gets used
to very quickly. These days, when I have to wait more than just a few
days for anything, I get antsy. For example, when I wanted to buy a
new phone two years ago, and my local AT&T couldn't get it for
another week, I went shopping on Amazon instead. My impatience
takes away business from local stores that depend on my purchase. It
would not have killed me to wait a week, but being used to Amazon's
fast delivery, my expectations in terms of availability rose across the
board, no matter the type of store. It's tough for brick-and-mortar
stores to live up to Amazon's high standards. Many customers expect
a level of service that is not attainable for small businesses. The ease
of shopping is somewhat of a personal downside for me. Because
Amazon made shopping online so easy, I tend to spend money more
quickly. I also buy more things that I do not need. A decade ago, I
would go back and forth on which product to buy and where to get
the best deal. A few times, I ended up not buying an item at all.
These days, I buy things online that were not even on my "shopping
list." Keeping up my relationship with Amazon has turned me into a
transparent consumer. The computers have already figured out what
I want for me. Back in Europe, this customer data collection, is a hot
topic and sparks many ethical discussions.
The positive effects are evident. Shopping online is convenient, easy,
and time-saving. Online retail has created new jobs, so not just
customers benefit from it. Companies such as Amazon have
revolutionized the shopping experience and set new standards all the
time. I am always excited to see what the company's new step will
be.
That being said, opposed to what some of you wrote, I think that
many ethical issues fall on customers. I believe that people have
become unreasonable and greedy. Yes, businesses are not without
blame. Their priorities lie in making money. However, many people I
know (regardless of income level) only ever want the best and
cheapest deal, irrespective of ethical concerns. Where there is no
market, businesses can't sell. Sadly, most people love getting a "good
deal." Just an example, I hear people rave about Shein all the time.
They forget that the five-dollar shirt was made by someone who did
not earn a living wage from it, and shipping their ultra-cheap clothes
from China just to be worn once and then end up in a landfill in the
US is just sad. Customers have a lot of power. If we all decided to
stop buying plastic nonsense from Asia (that we don't need in the
first place), we would leave a world behind that's just a little bit
cleaner and better. The race to the bottom is something only
customers can prevent by changing how they consume products.
Resources
Grosman, L. (2018, February 22). Council post: What the Amazon
effect means for
retailers. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscounc
il/2018/02/22/what-the-amazon-effect-means-for-retailers/?
sh=10cc90f62ded
