Pakistan has come in the list of those countries where e-commerce is growing at a rapid pace. Just like every other thing, the Internet has revolutionized the way businesses were being done in the past years. Electronic commerce or e-commerce is a relatively new concept in Pakistan, but it has gotten trendy in a very short span of time. E-commerce simply means doing business through the Internet that includes selling goods online and delivering the desired products to customers’ doorsteps.
Apart from the prevalence of the trend, online shopping industry in Pakistan is facing some hurdles and challenges that can’t be ignored. Scroll down to know the major factors influencing the Pakistani online shopping industry.
Wrong Interpretation About the E-Commerce Industry
Pakistanis have a wrong concept about the industry since their view to online shopping is limited. They confine it to only those products that can be digitized or can be transferred through the web and whose payment could be made online through the credit cards.
Due to this concept, it gets difficult to attract new customers, provide services to the existing ones, and introducing new strategies and market for the existing products.
Lack of Trust
Another hurdle in the path of online shopping growth in Pakistan is the lack of trust. People are reluctant in buying from the web because it seems like making a deal with a ghost. It’s very difficult for the customers to trust the seller they haven’t seen or interacted with.
The same lack of trust applies for confidentiality of the personal information such as contact number, email addresses, credit card and bank account details. There is a dire need of trustworthy online sources with governmental security to drive out the fear growing in customers.
Traditional Nature of Pakistani Society
Pakistanis believe in making a long-term customer-seller relationship by interacting. Most of the people buy from particular shops because they trust the seller. It is a traditional habit that is still common among Pakistanis.
Also, there are a lot of regions where basic facilities like electricity and clean water aren’t available. So, access to the Internet is out of the question in such areas. Not only is it difficult for customers to shop online, it is a hell of a lot more challenging for the vendors to deliver the products in such regions.
Low Literacy Rate
After spending 1.5 decades of the 21st century, Pakistan is among those countries that are unable to fight illiteracy. Only 54% of Pakistanis are educated, and out of that 54%, only 50% have computer knowledge. Which means, the majority of the population is still unaware of the computer use; therefore, it seems unlikely for the e-commerce industry to grow under such conditions.
Access to Technology
As mentioned earlier, there are some regions where basic necessities of life aren’t available and people in such areas fight for sine qua non. They travel a long distance to fetch water and light candles at night. Technology is unrealistic for them, which is another impediment in the path of the e-commerce industry.