Over the past ten years, China's e-commerce industry has developed rapidly and has been monopolized by Alibaba, JD.com and Pinduoduo. The rapid development of e-commerce platforms has also greatly impacted the business of physical stores. Now we walk on the street, either see "Wangpu Rent" or "discount promotion" signs, and now the physical stores are already getting worse day by day.
However, what is confusing is that although the development of e-commerce in the mainland is later than that of Western developed countries, the development of e-commerce in foreign countries is not as good as that of domestic e-commerce. In developed Western countries, online sales have not only not beaten brick-and-mortar stores, but have not grown. So why don't Western developed countries support e-commerce? In our view, this is mainly due to the following reasons:
First, the development of physical stores can better solve the employment problem; Many developed Western countries believe that brick-and-mortar stores offer more jobs, while online shopping is relatively limited. For example, a 24-hour convenience store needs to hire six employees, while on the Internet, one or two people can rent a store.
The second point is the quality of the product. Many Westerners believe that images sold online often don't match real products. After online shopping, if you are not satisfied, it is even more troublesome to return it. Therefore, Westerners are more inclined to experience it for themselves, to see it with their own eyes. In addition, if counterfeit products are purchased online, it is difficult for foreign consumers to complain about them. If you buy counterfeit products in a physical store, you can complain to the merchant and demand that the merchant pay a high fee.
The third is taxation. In the West, e-commerce is taxed the same as for brick-and-mortar stores, while in the West, the government has no special concessions for e-commerce. Therefore, the competition between e-commerce and brick-and-mortar stores is the same. In order to promote the development of e-commerce, our country has given a lot of taxes. Even today, e-commerce taxes are much lower than those paid by brick-and-mortar stores, and some small and medium-sized e-commerce companies evade taxes.
Fourth, the fundamental reason for the rapid development of e-commerce in China is its low price. However, the quality of the goods is worrying. Usually, the things that consumers buy will break in a few times, and our people buy things, mainly because it is cheap. In the West, value for money is more important. For example, washing machines purchased online are cheaper, but after-sales service is not in place, and in physical stores, although they are a little more expensive, in terms of after-sales service, there is still a guarantee.
Fifth, the development of physical stores can increase the consumption level of residents. Nowadays, many people shop online, as soon as they think of what they want to buy, they immediately go to buy it online, and they are done as soon as they buy it. If you shop in a physical store, it will trigger a series of consumption scenarios. For example, a couple who plan to go to the movies on the weekend, then have a meal in a restaurant, then go buy a new set of clothes, and then go to a bookstore, so that the curiosity of customers will be aroused.
Why don't developed countries support power companies? This is mainly because, in developed countries, people are most concerned about the two most important issues: work and consumption, while brick-and-mortar stores can drive work and consumption. In addition, people in the West pay more attention to seeing with their own eyes, and they are more willing to experience it in physical stores. In addition, in foreign countries, e-commerce and physical stores are on the same starting line, so the advantages of e-commerce over physical stores are not very large. What's more, Westerners pay more attention to good quality and low price, not good price. It is clear that the inhabitants of the West and our ordinary people have different concepts of consumption.