Online Shopping Trend In

Pakistan

By: Ayaz Y Butt

Electronic commerce, commonly known as e-commerce, or e-business consists of the

buying and selling of product or service conducted over electronic system, commonly

Internet.

A process of making a purchase successfully over the internet is Online Shopping…

Online shoppingOnline shopping is a process in which consumers

purchase products, goods or service electronically over the Internet through an e-Store or Online Shop.

e-Store: A website on which items/products are showcased, arranged in various categories for the purpose of buying and selling is called an e-Store / Online Shopping Store. It can also be called as a virtual store with all the essence and effect but not the appearance as of a physical store.

And simply in a routine life, mostly people use to say it ‘A Shopping Website’. These all are the names of a similar process where buying and selling takes place electronically.

Some Top online shops in Pakistan;Symbios.pkDaraz.pkShophive.pk

Here is an Example to show, how an e-Store / Online Shopping Store looks like;

e-Store: A website on which items/products are showcased, arranged in various categories for the purpose of buying and selling is called an e-Store / Online Shopping Store. It can also be called as a virtual store with all the essence and effect but not the appearance as of a physical store.

And simply in a routine life, mostly people use to say it ‘A Shopping Website’. These all are the names of a similar process where buying and selling takes place electronically.

Some Top online shops in Pakistan;Symbios.pkDaraz.pkShophive.pk

Here is an Example to show, how an e-Store / Online Shopping Store looks like;

Some Facts

Most activities on Internet

A FactThe physical store remains the centerpiece of the

purchase journey for many shoppers. It’s a fact that the majority of consumers still use online stores to do the comparisons and then go to a physical store to buy the product, compared to only few presently in Pakistan who do it the other way around. But since the use of internet is quickly spreading into our homes, people are more frequently visiting the online shopping stores for their varying shopping needs.

Trend In PakistanThe developing country like our (Pakistan) is an emerging

market of eCommerce, We only have a little over 100+ Online shopping stores offering their services for over 25 million internet users estimated [according to Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan (ISPAK – updated: 26 April, 2012 )] .

In Pakistan people are notorious for their distrust and lack of awareness on any business conducted electronically/digitally, they find the traditional method of in-store shopping more satisfying. But it seems that the behavior started to change now as there is a major increase of more than 50+ shopping websites in the last 3-4 years (over half of the total number of websites operating at the moment) and other than that people feel that they’re finding value in online shopping in the present scenario.

Trend In Pakistan

Why Online Shopping? (taking place of traditional Shopping)

What is driving people to Shop Online?Why the Trend is shifting to Online Shopping?

ConvenienceThe convenience of shopping Online or is what people

like best about it e.g. shopping from the convenience of your living room, bed room, office or anywhere else where Internet is available. You do not have to wait in a line or wait till the shop assistant is ready to help you with your purchases. You can do your shopping in minutes even if you are busy apart from saving time and avoiding crowds. Online shops give you the opportunity to shop 24 x 7 without being interrupted.

Better PricesAnother thing which fascinates people is the cheap deals and better prices they get from online stores because products come to you direct from the manufacturer or seller without middlemen involving. Many online shops offer discount coupons, which is a normal practice at SYMBIOS.PK for our valuable customers.

Comparison of PricesOnline shops make comparison and research of products and prices possible. Online stores also give you the ability to share information and reviews with other shoppers who have firsthand experience with a product or retailer.

VarietyThe choices you can get for products are amazing. One can get several brands and products at one place. How many times have it happened that you spend your money reaching a local shop only to find that the product you need is out of stock? Some online shops have a provision to accept orders without stock and ship it across to you when the stock becomes available, like SYMBIOS.PK do.

Sending Gifts Online Shopping makes sending gifts to relatives and friends easy, no matter where

ever they stay. Now there is no need of making distance an excuse for not sending a gift on occasions like Birthday, Wedding Anniversary, Marriage, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day etc.

Fewer ExpensesMany times when we opt for conventional shopping we tend to spend a lot more than the required shopping expenses on things like eating out, traveling, impulsive shopping etc.

Avoiding CrowdSome people want peace of mind, if you like that, you would like to avoid the crowds when you do the shopping. Especially during Festivals and Special events the crowds can really give a head ache. Crowds force you to do a hurried shopping most of the time. Crowds also create a problem when it comes to finding a parking place nearby where you want to shop and going back to your vehicle later loaded with shopping bags.

Compulsive ShoppingMany times when we go out on Shopping we end up buying things which we do not require because of the shop keepers up selling skills. Sometimes we even compromise on our choices because of the lack of choices in those shops.

Some Detail Convenient Facts Product DescriptionObvious Price TagEasy finding a productReviews / User ExperienceConvenient Payment Mode

Product Description One of the advantages of shopping online with a mega store like SYMBIOS.PK, is a

clear and visible product description. While you are shopping offline and want to make a first buy for a product, you actually have no idea what it’s going to be inside and how good that product actually is. In contrast to that, the online shopping stores have the complete and clear product description mentioned.

Obvious Price TagAt an online store the price tag is quite obvious, which is right there and

visible, no need to tilt the tag to see the price/cost.

Easy to Find

To a large extent you can easily browse through the mega list of products offered in categories. Not only that, you also have a convenience of searching for a specific product you are looking for with the help of the search bar available. This saves you time and directing you to the desired product.

Convenient Payment Mode In Pakistan, almost all shopping websites offer pay Cash on delivery (COD)

option, which attracts people especially in the current scenario, where security and reliability is at the top most priority.

Obstacles: Buying / Shopping Online (Pakistan)Delivery time and faulty/non-existent internet

connections, electricity problem, local and regional security situation are on top of the list as obstacles in online shopping. This seems to be a problem with the whole infrastructure of our country. Delivery time is dominated by the state of transport, so it might not be the store company’s fault. The same goes for lack of internet accessibility. So, In short If our country focus on developing a large internet infrastructure, it will give a boost to online shopping as well.

In Pakistan, still lot of efforts are required to make Online Shopping the first choice for the shoppers to shop through.

What Next

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