TOKYO: Online commerce, the transacting of purchases through virtual shop-fronts operating virtual warehouses, is now fully mainstream.
And it’s not just lower value items like books, furniture, airfares, rare postage stamps and sci-fi memorabilia: everything is appearing on the shelves of the virtual store.
Even property sales are booming online, many purchases made “sight unseen”.
Now, Amazon, that giant commerce site that began as a book repository, will sell Japanese customers a brand new BMW i3 EV – direct, and with the blessing of BMW.
Perhaps it’s because the electric car is a more ‘commoditised product’ than conventional cars, perhaps it’s the type of buyer – the early adopter – that is driving this, but is this the sign of a bigger wave gathering – the purchase, online, direct from the manufacturer, of your next new car?
