“E-commerce is to companies as water is to fish!”. An exaggeration? Maybe yes, but according to current data, what is certain is that digital commerce is only at the beginning of its history and no one can think of staying out of it.In the two years that have just passed, the market has experienced a strong acceleration in the digitization process. pushed significantly by the Covid-19 health emergency. During the pandemic, e-commerce played an essential role in the economy and society. These effects are clearly reflected in the European E-commerce Report 2022, which shows that in 2021 digital commerce has grown in Europe at a rate of 13% reaching a value of 718 billion euros which, according to projections, will grow to 797. billions of euros in 2022. Despite the expectation of a sharp slowdown following the lifting of restrictions due to the pandemic, many countries have seen online shopping remain stable or continue to grow at a slower pace.
A vademecum
And here is the section "E-commerce: online commerce made easy" which, starting from the data and research of sector specialists and passing through case studies and interviews, aims to deepen the opportunities of the digital market, investigating the tools and steps necessary to grasp them. A vademecum to defeat "technophobia" in an era with a strong digital flavor.
The Italian market
In Italy in 2021, according to the Eurispes 2022 Report, 77.2% of the population bought online at least once (+ 7% compared to 2020), for a value that the Politecnico di Milano certifies equal to 39.4 billion euros (+ 21% compared to 2020). The pandemic has profoundly changed the behavior, predisposition and preferences of consumers towards online purchases. In the same way, companies are maturing - or should - a greater awareness of the need to offer an integrated experience between online and offline channels. What was born from the need to satisfy an unavoidable need, perfectly summed up by "stay home, we'll take you the shopping", is destined to persist and to evolve towards a new kind of consumer: the 'conscious web shopper' who deliberately chooses to buy online and not for lack of alternatives.
A world for everyone
The word “e-commerce” is so deeply rooted in our everyday life that for Stefano (9 years old) it is synonymous with «purchase made comfortably from the sofa»; for Angela and Francesco (respectively 76 and 79 years old) it is «the technological means that our children used to get us a packet of sweets at Easter 2020». Digital transformation opens the doors to countless business opportunities, but - beware - it doesn't mean it's easy, nor that having a good product or exclusive service is enough to be successful online. Relying on luck does not seem like a winning strategy either, because, even if luck always helps, in the long run it is not she who determines the results. Especially small and medium-sized enterprises continue to lag behind in the adoption and use of digital tools due to a lack of time, budget, resources and skills.
Francesca Muscas
