
Based on the growth of internet and mobile users alone, it is hardly any wonder that e-commerce and m-commerce are thriving. Despite the economic downturn, online spending is proving resilient and even buoyant in most markets. New communication and software developments are making it increasingly possible for retailers to offer a seamless shopping experience using all the available shopping channels – mobile devices, computers, bricks-and-mortar, television, radio, direct mail, catalogues, and so on. In our existing climate of digital interaction, the concept of a 'Sharing Economy' is gaining momentum. New developments are following in the footsteps of those entrepreneurs who created sites where people share their houses and car spaces. We are now increasingly seeing sites aimed at people who need people for odd jobs, at short notice. Uber was perhaps the first on the scene here. It is still operating in a narrow market (taxies), but other companies are entering the much broader job market, by using e-commerce, offering business opportunities to increasing larger groups of people.