| | DECEMBER 20208CIOReviewIN MY OPINIONThe world of commerce is constantly changing, and this year may have sparked one of the biggest changes in commerce the world has ever seen. The economy took a massive hit around the world during the first and second quarters of the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions of people lost their jobs, which resulted in a huge decline of discretionary spending, and millions of shoppers who would have been flooding the streets of malls around the world opted to stay home.Many businesses, who traditionally did business in person, scrambled to find ways to keep their doors open. When physical locations had to be closed down for safety, consumers were left with online shopping as their only way to buy what they needed. Throughout the last few months, e-commerce has exploded and has shown no signs of slowing down. Online companies have experienced huge successes during the pandemic, but there are challenges that each company continues to face today, and important steps the companies should take to ensure that their business continues to thrive.New Demand for E-CommerceEven now, six months into the coronavirus pandemic, less and less people are shopping in person, and the demand for e-commerce continues to increase. Stores have taken proper precautions and experts argue that it is now safe to shop in stores as long as protocols are followed, so why does e-commerce continue to grow? We believe that as more and more people discover just how easy and convenient it is to shop online, the industry will continue to steadily grow even as the pandemic ends. E-commerce has made significant improvements over the years, and many shoppers were not aware of just how easy it is to online shop. Once a person transitions over to online shopping, many hardly ever return to crowded malls or tiny stores to make their purchases.Distribution ChallengesThe growth of the e-commerce industry has not been without its challenges. For one, many online companies are now being faced with the need to expand their distribution. Growth is almost always positive, but when companies aren't prepared for the amount of growth they'll face, they end up selling By Victor Elmann, Vice President, Vendor Management, Circuit City Corporation, Inc.EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY IN HIGHER EDUCATION: TEACHING PRESENCE IS STILL IMPORTANT
< Page 7 | Page 9 >