The holiday shopping season is over, and online shopping seems to have continued to siphon business from traditional brick-and-mortar stores. 

Undoubtedly, online shopping has made life easier, but it is also dull. Whether you’re buying groceries or sneakers, you must sort through endless pages of inventory. However, being able to purchase from anywhere frees up time and energy. It should also make us more ethical, conscious consumers, but many of us are lured into infinite scrolling and consumerism. 

In the last few weeks, I saw criminally good sales on clothes from big brands, so I bought them because it seemed financially irresponsible not to. But they weren’t well-made, from the fabric on the neck to the stitch size, and I realized they must have been on sale for a reason.

INTERNET IS OPTIMIZED FOR SHOPPING

By all accounts, we’re living in an accelerating age of consumerism. Everything on the internet is optimized for shopping, and the rise of low-cost, low-quality “everything stores” — groceries, electronics, apparel, furniture, and home goods — makes buying products seem easier. 

Plus, every widget, sidebar, and filter is deployed to ostensibly aid in shopping, meaning that the item you merely glanced at one morning follows you across the internet – and into your Instagram feed, all fighting for your attention through discounts. 

While we scramble to grab the best deals, taking on the cognitive load of processing hundreds of data points and deciding what’s worth our money, e-commerce has been experiencing a rough patch lately. 

Many consumers often feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of advertisements, particularly when these messages are impersonal and irrelevant, says Rasha Abdo, Enterprise Team Leader at Infobip MENA.

“However, personalized communication, even when promotional, is relevant because it’s related to an individual recipient’s need – which is why purchasing continues.” 

“While fatigue may reduce consumer engagement and cause people to ignore many ads…shopping itself remains an appealing activity, with promotional activities encouraging people to buy products they don’t need,” says Dr. Sepideh Samadi, Assistant Professor in Marketing, Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University Dubai.

Over the next few years, e-commerce will expand. It is predicted that 95% of all purchases will be made online by 2040. However, it’s hard to ignore the rise of fake reviews and products, deals (that may not actually be deals), poor quality goods, unreliable customer service, late deliveries, and greenwashing. So many recommendations are hard to trust, and many products are neither useful nor well-made. 

How do they sell goods at such strikingly low prices? How much environmental waste do their businesses generate? 

It has largely gone unnoticed by many shoppers. But make no mistake: The problem is extensive.

“Online shopping will continue to grow,” says Thierry Nicault, area vice president and general manager of Salesforce Middle East. “However, not all online retailers deliver a premium level of customer experience, and it is often left up to customers to be more discerning and select the retailers they can trust based on personal experience, recommendations, and reviews.”

PLATFORMS MUST BUILD TRUST

Industry observers say as more businesses move online, e-commerce platforms must build trust. Consumers will increasingly be able to spot disingenuous endorsements and inferior product quality and get frustrated with delivery delays, and the backlash can be severe. 

“It is vital for e-commerce platforms to gain and maintain trust. Operators that fail to do so will lose business to their rivals,” says Nicault.

Trust is paramount for e-commerce platforms, especially in the Middle East, says Sergei Vinogradov, CEO at WGG Advertising Agency. “The region’s unique characteristics, such as a significant expat population with short-term stays, contribute to a market focusing on short-term gains and lowering trust.”

Vinogradov adds that e-commerce platforms should prioritize long-term commitment and transparency to build trust. “A key strategy is proactive review management. By encouraging satisfied customers to share their positive experiences, platforms can counterbalance the natural negativity bias and provide a more accurate representation of customer satisfaction.”

In this decade, as e-commerce sites increasingly become our go-to for nearly every purchase we make, the proliferation of fake products—and fake reviews—will train a generation of consumers to be skeptical and careful about what they buy.

Gaining customer trust is essential for e-commerce platforms in today’s competitive landscape, says Rishi Kishor Gupta, Regional Director – MEA for Nothing. “Acquiring a customer is not just a one-time effort but a long-term investment. Repeat customers are the backbone of sustainable business growth, as they drive sales and reduce the dependency on costly customer acquisition.”

On the other hand, if a business lacks repeat customers, Gupta says, relying on acquiring new customers becomes an enormous challenge, making it almost impossible to sustain in the long run. Moreover, managing returns and exchanges is a significant expense for e-commerce platforms. 

“Ensuring quality products, transparent policies, and exceptional service is crucial not only to minimize returns but also to build trust and foster loyalty, which ultimately leads to business growth and stability,” adds Gupta.

“Incorporating a human touch in customer service—such as providing access to real representatives instead of solely relying on chatbots—can further enhance trust, as it reassures customers that the platform is genuinely attentive to their needs,” says Dr. Samadi.

The limitations show e-commerce still has a long way to go before it becomes a trustworthy channel in the retail industry, as many shoppers wish it could be.

“The surge in demand has brought challenges, including a decline in the quality of products and services and unreliable customer service, to name a few. While there are some valid reasons for customers’ concern, and caution is always advised, there will always be a way to spot e-commerce platforms that go the extra mile by prioritizing customer experience, maintaining transparency, and personalizing communication,” says Abdo. “By choosing platforms that demonstrate a commitment to quality and connection, shoppers can still find reliable and satisfying online shopping experiences.”