Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, one of the most rapidly growing sectors is the e-commerce market. This fact is not surprising, considering the lockdowns, the number of infections, and the desire to protect health and life. The trend of online shopping is expected to continue for the next few years, which means that companies need to prepare for an increase in the number of customers and ensure the continuous operation of their systems and applications.
According to market data, Poles spent over 15.3 billion euros online in 2021, which represents a growth of nearly 32% compared to the previous year. Therefore, if companies offering products and services online want to be competitive and succeed in e-commerce, they need to keep up with customer expectations and fulfill their needs faster than the competition.
Companies also need to ensure a smooth IT infrastructure
According to Natalia Gawłowska, the Marketing Director at Polcom, changes have occurred not only in consumer behavior and habits.
The pandemic and recurring lockdowns have accelerated the digital transformation process for many companies, leading them to focus on their online presence. Their current priority is to adapt their infrastructure to handle a larger number of customers, especially during peak sales moments, and to ensure the continuity of their IT systems, considering the drastic increase in the number of cyber-attacks.
The lack of properly prepared IT infrastructure in companies, especially in the e-commerce market, makes it incredibly challenging to maintain market competitiveness. Even the shortest downtime in the operation of a sales platform exposes companies to significant losses – not only financial but also reputational.
Without a reliably robust IT infrastructure, a company is unable to compete effectively in the e-commerce market. Even a momentary disruption in the operation of a service has a negative impact on its evaluation by customers, ultimately leading to their loss – confirms Mariusz Juranek, Sales Director at Polcom.
And what about security?
The e-commerce sector is one of the primary targets for cybercriminals. Their attacks largely focus on data breaches and disrupting access to IT resources. For Poczta Kwiatowa, a company that has been providing online services for many years, system security is a crucial aspect for which they have taken specific actions. The company has decided to implement cloud computing services, which bring a range of benefits.
We have been using cloud computing for the past 4 years, and we have repeatedly witnessed the benefits of this choice. The new service provides broad and active support, which is particularly important during periods of increased interest in our offerings. Cloud computing effectively protects us from sudden or unnecessary expenses on IT infrastructure. Thanks to the cloud, we do not experience any issues during peak shopping periods and can provide customers with a smooth platform despite its high load. At the same time, we do not overpay for resources that we would not fully utilize during quieter periods – adds Michał Sikora from Poczta Kwiatowa®.