Large retailers are forced to sell online
For many retailers, the growth of e-commerce has expanded the reach of their brands. Also, it has had a positive impact on their bottom line.

But for other retailers who have been slow to adopt the online marketplace, the impact has been felt differently.

Some studies show that discount stores and luxury retailers are maintaining their position with consumers. However, e-commerce is adding to the fierce competition for retailers in the middle tier.

Studies also indicate that especially department stores have been affected by the impact of the e-commerce boom.

On the other hand, many chain stores are seeing their sales decline. Indeed, Amazon is becoming the source for consumers for products traditionally purchased in department stores.

E-commerce helps small businesses sell directly to customers
For many small businesses, adopting e-commerce has been a slow process.

However, those who have embraced it have discovered that e-commerce can open doors to new opportunities that were previously unthinkable.

Little by little, small business owners are launching e-commerce sites. This allows them to diversify their offer, and better adapt to the different sales channels available.

Recent studies show that 2 out of 10 SMEs have increased their e-commerce presence in the last two years. They also show that 11% of SMEs plan to increase their efforts in this area over the next year.

B2B companies are beginning to offer B2C online ordering experiences
Other studies indicate that in the B2B world, e-commerce will account for the majority of sales by 2020. In addition, 79% of B2B customers already expect to be able to place orders from an e-commerce site.

On the other hand, many e-commerce solutions enable self-service. They also provide more user-friendly platforms for price comparison. This helps B2B brands to better maintain their relationships with buyers.

What’s more, scientific research indicates that e-commerce has had a significant positive impact on the B2B market. It has improved processes and reduced overall operational costs.

The growth of e-commerce markets

E-commerce markets have been on the rise around the world since the mid-1990s. This is due in part to the launch of the giants we know today as Amazon, Alibaba and others.

Supply chain management has evolved
In addition, many studies have been conducted to show the main impacts of e-commerce on supply chain management. For example, these studies show that e-commerce significantly shortens the product life cycle.

As a result, producers are presenting deeper and wider assortments. But it also means that warehouses are seeing greater amounts of inventory moving in and out of their facilities.

In response, some warehouses now offer value-added services. This helps make e-commerce and retail operations more seamless and efficient.

These services include:

inventory/storage separation for online and retail sales,
various packaging services,
inventory and logistics monitoring.
New jobs are created, but traditional retail jobs are reduced
E-commerce jobs have doubled in the last five years. They thus far outpace other types of retail in terms of growth.

However, e-commerce job growth is only a small piece of the overall employment puzzle.

Some quick facts about the impact of e-commerce on employment:
E-commerce jobs have grown by 334%, or 178,000 more jobs since 2002.

Most e-commerce jobs are located in medium to large metropolitan areas. Most e-commerce businesses have four or fewer employees.

Studies indicate that e-commerce will continue to create new jobs directly and indirectly. The areas involved will be highly specialized, such as the information and software sectors. They may also be related to the increased demand for productivity.

On the other hand, improved efficiency, coupled with the shift away from traditional retail, may also result in job losses or workforce reductions.

As with any major market change, there are both positive and negative impacts on employment.

Customers are shopping differently
E-commerce (and now omni-channel retailing) has had a major impact on customers. It is revolutionizing the way modern consumers shop.

Today, we know that 96% of Americans with Internet access have made an online purchase at some point in their lives. Also, 80% have made an online purchase in the last month.

In addition, customers frequently use e-commerce sites to make purchases. In fact, 51% of Americans now prefer to shop online rather than in stores.

Millennials make up the largest portion of the online shopping population (67%). However, Gen Xers and Baby Boomers follow closely behind with 56% and 41% participating in online shopping activities, respectively.

Social media makes it easy for consumers to share products to buy online
Researchers have found that e-commerce has had an interesting social impact, especially in the context of social media.

Today, e-commerce shoppers are discovering and being influenced on social networks like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. This allows them to purchase products or services based on recommendations from friends, peers and trusted sources (such as influencers).

Global e-commerce is growing rapidly
Around the world, e-commerce is growing.

In 2016, Forbes reported that 57% of people surveyed in 24 countries on six continents had made an online purchase in the past six months.

And the global impact of e-commerce has been particularly strong in countries like China (dwarfing growth in all other countries).

Since 2014, China has seen a significant increase in sales each year, and it is projected that by 2019, the country will have nearly $2 billion in e-commerce retail sales alone.