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The e-commerce industry has been steadily rising over the past few years. The pandemic helped to accelerate its growth since many consumers shopped online out of necessity. However, experts are still predicting exponential growth in 2021 and beyond. Jeff Bezos and Jack Ma, the respective founders of Amazon and AliExpress have become two of the richest people in the world thanks to the skyrocketing valuations of their businesses.
This global e-commerce market report from Business Insider details the growth of e-commerce in the past year. In the Asia Pacific region, the e-commerce industry grew by 62.6% and up to 19% in North America. The upward trend was also seen in Europe with a growth rate of 12%. This has resulted in an overall estimate of $3.9 trillion in e-commerce sales globally.
In the midst of all the e-commerce growth are three of the top e-commerce stores: Ebay, Amazon, and Aliexpress. Below is a breakdown of the benefits of shopping from each of these e-commerce websites and how the overall shopping experience differs for each.
Ebay
Ebay is one of the oldest e-commerce websites on the Internet. Technically, it is an online auction website. It is different from the other e-commerce websites because it does not sell the items. Instead, it merely offers a platform for potential buyers to bid on these items once they are listed on the website.
Recently, Ebay has introduced the Buy It Now option for those who don’t like to bid and offer the seller the price for the items directly.
This is one of the best places to shop if you are looking for a deal. Prices are already quite cheap but you can get them even lower if you have an Ebay coupon code.
Here are some of the benefits when shopping with Ebay:
- Ebay accepts a variety of online payment options, such as Paypal (for those who don’t like to use their credit cards online).
- Ebay account owners can sell or buy at the website.
- Ebay is a great place to shop for hard-to-find or unique items.
- Ebay has a friendly customer support team.
- Ebay offers a classic feedback system that includes seller ratings. This gives consumers the chance to check on the seller’s reliability and credibility.
Amazon
Amazon is one of the giants in the e-commerce industry. The company was founded in 1994 in the US and they offer a wide range of product categories to choose from – from clothing to household items, electronic gadgets, and more.
Amazon’s popularity grew in the e-commerce landscape due to its offering of low prices, availability of products, and free shipping options. Competitive pricing is on top of the list of reasons why people love to shop via Amazon. The Amazon brand has established itself as a one-stop-shop for consumers, which makes it the preferred place to shop for many. The fact that there are product reviews easily available makes shopping easier, too. It gives consumers more confidence when they shop.
As a seller, there are some strategies you can use to boost Amazon sales. For buyers, here are the benefits of shopping from Amazon:
- The prices are cheaper than in local shopping malls or stores.
- They offer fast delivery times and free shipping, too!
- They offer fast and efficient customer service.
- They have a dedicated space for reviews that will help inform buyers about their decision.
Aliexpress
Aliexpress is owned by the Alibaba Group, which is one of the biggest e-commerce brands out there. In fact, Alibaba started it all – they developed the idea of creating a massive e-commerce store that features a variety of products well before Amazon did.
Aliexpress is essentially a retail platform. It is a place wherein people can shop for all kinds of products – clothing, shoes, bags, household items, beauty products, and more. It was established in 2010 and the majority of the products are shipped from mainland China. Over the years, there are many ways to shop at Alibaba and dropshipping is one of those features that are currently offered in this retail platform.
Since the website directly ships products from China, you can find plenty of items that are not available on either Ebay or Amazon. The products are known for their very low prices. The reason for this is that the manufacturers of these products are mostly wholesalers. The downside to this is that you will have to incur high shipping costs and the shipment could take weeks to arrive.
Here are some of the benefits when you shop with Aliexpress:
- It has a variety of products to choose from at very low prices.
- It accepts all major credit cards and Paypal (for a more secure transaction).
- It has “lightning offers” that enable you to get more discounts on your purchase.
- It has a website for each country so you can browse and shop in your own language.
When choosing which of these e-commerce websites to shop from, it all comes down to value. Do you value getting items at a cheaper price, or do you prefer quality and security? Examine the different features of each shop to see which is most convenient for your shopping needs.
