While physical shopping was taking place with shopping malls and chain markets that began opening in the 2000s, with the widespread adoption of the internet and then e-commerce, a shift towards online shopping began to emerge. Experts point out that with the proliferation of the internet, credit card usage also increased; however, because credit cards allow the use of money not yet in one's pocket, many people use this facility recklessly or desperately, leading to inability to pay on due date and potential enforcement proceedings. Dr. Ahmet Şenol states that cargo and courier services, in particular, gained more importance and expanded their volume during the pandemic process, alongside e-commerce.
Beware of reckless credit card usage!
Dr. Lecturer Ahmet Şenol from Üsküdar University, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Department of Computer Engineering (English), shared his evaluations regarding the change in consumption habits over time with digitalization.
The Shopping Mall and Chain Market Frenzy Began in the 2000s
Reminding that shopping centers and three-letter chain markets began opening from the 2000s onwards, Dr. Ahmet Şenol said, “In shopping centers, markets are generally located on the ground floors, food courts on the top floors, and clothing stores and cinemas on the intermediate floors. In addition, markets with three-letter names also started to open. In the aforementioned shopping methods, the shopper always went to the physical location of the product to make the purchase, and the consumer and producer met face-to-face.”
Internet and Online Credit Card Usage Increased
Stating that the number of internet-connected devices in the world was approximately 1 million in 1992, Dr. Ahmet Şenol said, “With both the widespread adoption of the internet network and the cheaper production of computers and devices, the number of internet-connected devices reached 500 million in 2003 and 50 billion in 2020. The proliferation of the internet also increased credit card usage. Credit cards, which hold a very important place in daily life, create debt to the bank from which we obtained the credit card, allowing physical payment to be deferred and settled monthly on the due date, using payment infrastructures like Visa and Mastercard.”
Virtual Credit Card Protects Against Fraud
Dr. Ahmet Şenol stated that credit cards first entered our lives in the late 19th century in the USA and continued his words as follows:
“From the consumer's perspective, credit cards have eliminated the necessity of carrying cash and have enabled the use of credit provided by the card until the payment due date. Credit card transactions are carried out via POS devices. While the number of POS devices in Turkey was around 600,000 in 2003, as of December 2020, there are 3,348,258 POS devices. Credit card usage is also considered beneficial from the state's perspective, as it allows sales transactions to be recorded and for Value Added Tax to be collected more effectively. However, since credit cards allow the use of money not yet in one's pocket, many people use this facility recklessly or desperately, leading to inability to pay on due date and potential enforcement proceedings. The virtual credit card application, which came with the widespread adoption of e-commerce, provides protection against credit card fraud by allowing consumers to hold only a certain amount on the card within a specific date and time range.”
The Volume of Many Sectors Also Grew with E-commerce
Stating that the development and widespread adoption of e-commerce occurred in parallel with the proliferation of the internet, the development of web applications, and the introduction of internet-connected mobile devices into our lives, Dr. Ahmet Şenol said, “E-commerce is shopping using a web application or mobile device application without physically going to the store where the product is sold, by utilizing the internet infrastructure. According to E-ticaret.gov.tr data, the e-commerce volume in Turkey reached 381.5 billion TL in 2021, while the ratio of e-commerce to general trade was observed to be 17.7 percent. It can be said that the increase in registered trade due to e-commerce purchases being made using credit cards positively reflected on tax revenues. Cargo and courier services also gained more importance and expanded their volume in parallel with e-commerce.”
The Pandemic Process Expanded E-commerce Volume
Emphasizing that the pandemic process further expanded the volume of e-commerce and cargo-courier services, Dr. Ahmet Şenol said, “E-commerce has made it easier to access products, enabled direct ordering of products to consumers from abroad, and led to the proliferation of price comparison applications. In one respect, e-commerce has made it difficult for businesses engaged in traditional trade, forcing them to become a part of e-commerce and reducing the share of those who could not step into e-commerce.”
E-commerce Usage Will Increase with Technology
Stating that the ratio of e-commerce to traditional trade is expected to increase steadily, Dr. Ahmet Şenol said, “More effective use of drone-like vehicles in product delivery is also among the expectations for the future of e-commerce. It is also foreseen that humanoid robots could replace motorcycle couriers in the future. However, the sociological dimensions of the matter must also be taken into account. The traditional consumer base, who prefer to buy by going, trying on, experiencing, and tasting, will also continue to exist.”