In this thunderous era, e-commerce has become a part of people's lives. The popularity of e-commerce has not only changed the way people shop, but also has had a huge impact on brick-and-mortar merchants. With the rise of online monopoly capital, the living space of brick-and-mortar businesses seems to be getting narrower and smaller, and they are even threatened with the disappearance of employment opportunities.
Internet monopoly capital refers to the phenomenon that a few Internet giants divide the market by monopolizing market share and controlling user traffic. Through data, algorithms and powerful resource advantages, these giants have built a huge ecosystem and squeezed the space of brick-and-mortar merchants. Some small businesses can hardly find a foothold in the Internet tide and eventually have to choose to close their doors.
Traditional brick-and-mortar businesses have been an important part of economic development over the past few decades. The shops, shopping malls and supermarkets at the end of the streets were once frequented by people, and every day they are full of people and goods. However, with the rise of e-commerce, especially online monopoly capital, brick-and-mortar merchants are facing an unprecedented impact. E-commerce provides consumers with a more convenient way to shop. Through the Internet, people can browse products anytime, anywhere, compare prices, and choose the most suitable items. Online shopping is not limited by time and space, so that consumers do not have to queue and do not have to travel between stores, saving a lot of time and energy. This convenience attracts more and more consumers, leading to a gradual decline in turnover for brick-and-mortar businesses.
E-commerce gives consumers more choice. In traditional brick-and-mortar merchants, the variety of goods is limited, and they are often selected according to the business philosophy and brand of the merchant. Online e-commerce platforms offer goods from all over the world, giving consumers a wider choice of products that are more in line with their individual needs. This diversity makes e-commerce more attractive and puts brick-and-mortar merchants at a disadvantage in the competition. It is undeniable that the impact of online monopoly capital on brick-and-mortar businesses goes far beyond that. Large online platforms further weaken the competitiveness of brick-and-mortar merchants through low-price strategies, exclusive cooperation and data monopoly. In contrast, brick-and-mortar businesses face high rents, labor costs and miscellaneous fees, and the pressure can be described as heavy. For many small brick-and-mortar businesses, going along with e-commerce competition has become almost impossible.
The rise of e-commerce has not only caused the demise of brick-and-mortar merchants, but also destroyed jobs in many traditional industries. Before the rise of e-commerce, many people made a living through traditional industries, whether they were salespeople, warehouse workers, or logisticians. However, with the advent of e-commerce, these jobs are gradually being replaced by robots and artificial intelligence. Warehouses no longer require manual operations, many goods are sorted and boxed directly by robots, and logistics increasingly rely on drones and driverless vehicles for distribution. As a result, how many people have lost their jobs, and they have to face the employment dilemma.
From an employment perspective, the rise of e-commerce has undoubtedly given a lot of people opportunities. Many people have obtained a source of income by opening stores on e-commerce platforms and doing daigou. However, this is only a lucky few, accounting for a very small proportion of the entire e-commerce industry. On the contrary, the demise of brick-and-mortar businesses means the disappearance of many jobs. There is no longer a need for salesmen, cashiers, security guards and other jobs, and the emergence of a large number of unemployed people has put society in jeopardy.
So, how should we respond to the rise of online monopoly capital and the demise of brick-and-mortar businesses? The government should strengthen the supervision of the e-commerce industry and curb the excessive expansion of online monopoly capital. Through the formulation of better regulations and policies, protect the interests of brick-and-mortar merchants and maintain a level playing field in the market. Brick-and-mortar merchants need to take the initiative to transform and upgrade, using online platforms to combine online and offline to create new business models. Attract consumers back to brick-and-mortar stores by providing more personalized and high-quality services. We also need to advocate consumers' diversified shopping concepts, not only to enjoy the convenience brought by e-commerce, but also to support the survival and development of traditional brick-and-mortar merchants.
However, we cannot blame online monopoly capital and e-commerce solely on the elimination of jobs and the destruction of brick-and-mortar businesses. In fact, e-commerce has brought many conveniences to consumers, broken information asymmetry, and provided people with more choices. At the same time, e-commerce has also created many new employment opportunities, such as the management, customer service, and promotion of e-commerce platforms. Although these jobs cannot completely replace jobs in traditional industries, they alleviate employment pressure to some extent. They can use the power of the Internet to broaden sales channels and improve the promotion effect of products by cooperating with e-commerce platforms. At the same time, they can also attract customers by providing unique, personalized services and create a different experience than e-commerce, so as to stay ahead of the fierce market competition.
For those who have lost their jobs, they need to relearn and adapt to the needs of the market. The emergence of new technologies will inevitably drive some changes in the structure of employment, but it will also bring new opportunities. People can learn more skills and adapt to emerging industries to find jobs that are right for them. In this regard, the government can strengthen vocational training and provide more opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship to help those who have lost their jobs to get back on their feet.
Although online monopoly capital has had an impact on brick-and-mortar businesses and the job market, we cannot deny the positive impact of e-commerce on society. Both brick-and-mortar businesses and workers should seize the opportunity and adapt to the needs of the market. At the same time, the government should play an active role in providing support and guidance to help enterprises and self-employed people transform and upgrade, and promote the stable development of the job market. Only in this way can we better meet the challenges of the e-commerce era, seize the opportunities, and jointly create a better future.