Where can I get the product of my choice cheaper? In times of rising costs, price pressure in retail has increased again. What does this mean for online stores and how can domestic retailers compete with giants like Amazon and Temu? We asked Bernhard Aichinger, the founder of the E-Conomix group from Wels, this.
When time and money were available during the Corona pandemic, but most shops had to remain closed, Upper Austrians ordered online and caused a parcel boom. Retailers who had little to no digital experience set up an online store as quickly as possible. “The change would have happened anyway, but it was accelerated so significantly,” says Bernhard Aichinger.
It’s not a matter of ‘if’, but of ‘how’
The 35-year-old is the founder of the E-Conomix group, which he runs together with Michael Raberger. 120 employees in Wels, Linz and St. Pölten are working on solutions for online trading. The subject has become indispensable.
“The question is no longer whether you should do e-commerce, but only the question of how,” says Aichinger, who clarifies: “It is not about selling everything online, but as a company you have to ensure that you can be found online become.”
“You cannot distinguish yourself based on price”
What international giants such as Amazon, Temu and Co. reaches? “It is becoming increasingly difficult for other retailers to remain competitive,” he is a realist. How to pass on? “You cannot distinguish yourself based on price, but you can distinguish yourself through advice, availability and certainty for the customer, for example whether he can return the products,” says Aichinger. Consumers who ended up in the digital world in the first place due to the Corona situation have remained: “They still order online.”
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
