Different from traditional commerce, e-commerce is among the most preferred shopping methods today. While its speed and practicality are significant advantages, the pandemic-driven concerns for health, hygiene, and the difficulty of maintaining social distancing in shopping malls have further increased the inclination towards e-commerce. Busy work lives, the impact of urbanization, and transportation issues also guide consumers towards these platforms…
E-commerce websites are attractive with the many advantages they offer
Assoc. Prof. Özgül Dağlı, Head of the Advertising Department at Üsküdar University Faculty of Communication, made evaluations regarding e-commerce websites, marketing, and advertising, which have emerged as one of the prominent fields in recent years.
Internet and Social Media Have Become Important and Effective Channels
Assoc. Prof. Özgül Dağlı stated that in the period following the year 2000, the internet and social media became more important and effective channels, adding, “Internet technology used in digital advertising and marketing has many positive effects on almost every individual. The internet can be utilized in many areas such as communication, entertainment, education, research, social media use, and shopping.”
Assoc. Prof. Özgül Dağlı, who stated that the habit of online shopping has intensely increased and gained importance recently, said, “Electronic commerce websites form the basis of platforms where shopping is done over the internet. These sites, briefly called e-commerce sites, have also become a type of commerce whose foundations were quickly laid after 2000.”
E-commerce is Divided into Two According to its Parties and Activities
Dağlı stated that e-commerce, which is not an alternative to traditional commerce but rather a useful area offered to consumers by internet technology, added, “There are certain types of e-commerce. These are divided into two according to their parties and activities. E-commerce types according to their parties are: Business-to-business e-commerce, business-to-consumer e-commerce, consumer-to-consumer e-commerce, business-to-government e-commerce, and consumer-to-government e-commerce. E-commerce according to its activities is divided into two: direct and indirect e-commerce.”
Business-to-Consumer Sites Are Increasing Day by Day
Assoc. Prof. Özgül Dağlı noted that the number of business-to-consumer e-commerce websites is increasing every day, both worldwide and in Turkey, and stated that numerous sites offer their products to their target audiences through their platforms in specific categories.
Being Fast and Practical is One of Its Most Important Advantages…
Pointing to the reasons why e-commerce, which differs from traditional commerce, is highly preferred today, Assoc. Prof. Özgül Dağlı said, “E-commerce attracts consumers' attention and provides them with advantages today due to certain reasons such as the provision of health and hygienic conditions with the pandemic, the impossibility of maintaining social distance in shopping malls, intense work life, the effect of urbanization, and the emergence of transportation problems. Especially its speed and practicality can be shown as one of the most important advantages of e-commerce websites.”
Trust is Among the Most Important Issues
Assoc. Prof. Özgül Dağlı noted that e-commerce websites also have disadvantages in addition to their advantages, and said, “Especially the problem of trust can be said to be the most prominent issue. The issue of trust and accountability are actually among the most important topics for digital communication and digital advertising. In this context, the brand image, brand positioning, and prestige of brands on digital advertising platforms and e-commerce websites are highly valued. First and foremost is the trust consumers place in these sites. The ease of shopping, the delivery process of the cargo, and post-sales services meeting consumer expectations are equally important.”
Importance is Given to Advertising Efforts to Overcome the Trust Problem
Assoc. Prof. Özgül Dağlı pointed out that businesses related to e-commerce also carry out certain communication activities to overcome the trust problem of consumers, and said, “In this regard, advertising efforts are carried out to attract more consumers' attention, both to increase awareness of e-commerce websites and to encourage consumers to exhibit purchasing behavior after awareness of the e-commerce site is established. Internet advertisements are one of the preferred types of advertisements by e-commerce websites. Internet advertising is also a communication activity that has taken place in the internet environment after 2000 with the development of internet technology. Business-to-consumer e-commerce websites try to reach their target audiences by publishing internet advertisements on many websites. The main goal here is to enable consumers to shop and exhibit purchasing behavior from e-commerce websites.”
Advertising is Very Effective in the Formation of Consumption Culture
Assoc. Prof. Özgül Dağlı noted that advertising is considered one of the most influential methods in the formation, maintenance, and spread of consumption culture, and concluded her words as follows:
“Consumers encounter thousands of advertising messages in their daily lives, can determine their needs and consumption priorities through advertisements, and can make advertisements one of the most dominant factors guiding their lives. According to the 2020 data of the Advertisers Association, advertising investments constitute 25% of the total media and advertising investments in Turkey. Television advertisements have the feature of conveying emotional intensity more dominantly to the audience because they appeal to the eyes and ears. To increase the effectiveness of advertising, it is not limited to providing information; an emotional atmosphere is also created in advertisements with visual and auditory elements. With the elimination of the reliability problem in e-commerce, this situation indicates that more consumers will turn to e-commerce websites. The time problem brought by urban life causes people to turn to e-commerce. Consumers who shop from store to store using traditional methods experience a loss of time and fall into a disadvantageous position in many respects. E-commerce websites have brought practicality to consumers.”