Nowadays, many retail stores followed the trend of e-commerce in order to increase their

consumers / public and therefore their income. From my point of view, this innovation has
negatively affected small independent stores for various reasons.

To begin with, most online shops sell the same products as a small store but at a lower price.
This is a crucial drawback for retail stores as they obviously lose customers who find it better
to shop the same thing but cheaper. As a result, the total income of a small shop decreases
and in the worst case the employer is being forced to close their shop down.

In addition, this innovation of e-commerce has taken over the world services. More and
more shops decide to create their own online store which, undoubtedly, costs a lot. These
days, small independent store employers can do nothing but open up an e-shop in order to
catch up with the retail stores who already have one. This way, they try to gain their
customers back but most of the times, fail as the bigger shops have already gained their
popularity, which people prefer.

On the other hand, e-commerce has been proven profitable for a lot of companies. For
instance, during the COVID-19 pandemic many stores have decided to create their own
online shop in order to proceed with their sales despite the fact that the stores have closed
down due to lockdown. As a result, their income has been increased as individuals order
things online.

Taking everything into consideration, I firmly believe that e-shops have a negative influence
on independent retail stores. However, I am not disregarding the fact that opening an online
store is a satisfactory option since people tend to purchase things online more.