Yes, some people will always love the idea of touching and feeling items before buying them, but ever more people and businesses will gladly trade that away for the pleasure of not having to traipse around hoping to find what they need. People appreciate the greater selection and price comparison available on the Net. Many people also don't like dealing with salespeople. With a bricks-and-mortar vendor, the salesperson you happen to get can be good, bad, or indifferent, whereas on a company's Web site, you always get the best information available.
Many vendors also prefer selling on the Web. There's no cost of a bricks-and-mortar store, no shoplifting, it's easy to track and market to customers, and the e-store can be open 24/7 at no additional cost.
The things that have heretofore inhibited e-commerce are rapidly being fixed -- slow-loading catalog pages, an inadequate site search function, weak presale advice, cumbersome checkout procedure, dicey customer service. With these weaknesses mitigated, the percentage of transactions on the Net will skyrocket.
Career implications: E-commerce will put many salespeople, distributors, and bricks-and-mortar businesses out of business. Work for a category-leading company with a serious commitment to e-commerce, for example, the leading broker of elder housing. The Internet also will affect the priests of professional expertise: lawyers, librarians, and doctors, as people expect instant information with the click of a hyperlink. No matter what your field, to maximize chances of survival, one of your first questions should be: "How should I use the Internet?"
http://www.martynemko.com/articles/cool-careers-excerpt_id1504
