A recent blog titled “Astroturfing? Silly Name, Serious Business”, written by Sydney Ren, a student in Comm 296, just taught me a brand new term. As e-commerce grows bigger and becomes more widely used these days, the risk associated with online shopping is also increasing. It is almost impossible for consumers to be able to identify all those potential traps set by the sellers due to the lack of physical presence and communication channel. Then the question arises: is it really worth it to shop online despite all the lurking dangers that might severely harm the consumers?

Recently when watching TV, I saw the news about the contaminated breast milk that has been selling online. Whoever came up with this idea, even though that his/her original intention might be sincere and kind, the low quality of the product can be really catastrophic. The online reviews certainly do not provide any information regarding the bacteria that might be harmful to babies. People are not capable of knowing the actual quality of the product and how honest these auctioneers are, and the convenience of buying from online sellers just cannot in any way compensate for a baby’s life. For items that are directly linked to people’s health, especially to vulnerable groups such as infants, it is best to consider a safer way of purchasing the needs instead of taking the risk and regretting the decision later in life.

As for sellers, if they want to stay in business and develop a strong brand, the first thing that they need to gain is the trust of the customers. Without that, the business can only go downhill in the dynamic and competitive world today.