This is a Guest Post by Lindsey from ProfessionalIntern.com.

Now-a-days, shopping for just about everything is as easy as a mouse click. From paying bills to buying clothes, e-commerce is the new normal. As the Internet becomes the main platform for the exchange of ideas as well as goods and services, how are the students of online education using e-commerce? Are they more likely to buy and sell online than traditional students and consumers?

There’s no concrete proof that students who take classes online are more inclined to engage in e-commerce on a regular basis, but it’s possible to draw parallels between learning online and purchasing goods and services online. Computers and smartphones are making it possible to learn—and to buy—regardless of location. This, along with other similarities between learning online and e-commerce, are worth exploring.


The nature of online education

While the jury is still out on whether students who learn online receive a better, more complete learning experience, a 2009 study from the U.S. Department of Education shows better performance from students learning online than from traditional students.

From here, we can infer several things: if students who learn online are performing better, then the teaching methods are effective as well. Teaching and learning online also requires focus: the average computer desktop has a dozen different windows open: Internet browsers, documents and papers a student is working on, even games. A student enrolled in online education must also exhibit discipline, since there’s no physical presence to make sure they’re paying full attention to their tasks.

The nature of shopping e-commerce

The focus and discipline required for online education isn’t necessary for e-commerce. In fact, a common lament among consumers is that their impulse buying has gone up thanks to the ease of shopping online. It’s important to remember, however, that e-commerce is more than just buying and selling: it encompasses the entire process, from advertising to shipping. And, as traditional commerce relies more on computers and the Internet to conduct routine transactions, e-commerce is slowly replacing traditional commerce, even for consumers who don’t shop online.

Advertising is also a significant indicator of the shift from traditional commerce to e-commerce: although television commercials are still one of the most effective forms of advertising, companies are spending more time, effort and money on online advertising. By following consumers to their favorite websites and social media platforms, companies are exploring the Internet as the ultimate marketplace.

The impact of online education on e-commerce

So, what can be learned from examining online education and e-commerce? Where do the two phenomena intersect? Can we learn anything about one by studying the other? For students learning online, using computers and other electronic devices becomes an everyday necessity. Those students will also be more inclined to trust technology, while people don’t use technology in their everyday lives (particularly older consumers) might be more wary of entering their banking information into a web form.  But as the Internet and other online elements are introduced into traditional learning, the general population will become more comfortable with using electronics every day. Many people are already tethered to their smartphones and laptops, using them for work, school and entertainment, and they are already comfortable with conducting business online. But disparities in both broadband access and the prices of computers continue to create a gap for minorities and low-income citizens.

Despite these obstacles, online education and e-commerce are quickly becoming the way the world learns and does business. As access to the Internet and to affordable electronic devices becomes more widespread, they will both supplant traditional learning and commerce.

Here's another interesting article by Lindsey:

The Future Of Book, The eBook

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