Disclaimer: This Inside South Florida segment is sponsored by Proper Ecom. All opinions and views are of the advertiser and does not reflect the same of WSFL-TV.
E-commerce is reshaping the way consumers shop, and the shift has accelerated significantly in recent years. Ohr Fluxman, president of Proper Ecom, joined Inside South Florida to break down what is driving the change and where the biggest opportunities lie for brands today.
Fluxman pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic as a turning point that normalized online shopping for a much broader audience.
"10 years ago, shopping online was pretty new. But since COVID, it has become a normal thing to do. Five years later, it's become so adaptable that even my grandma's buying stuff on Amazon. A lot of retail stores are shutting down, which is a tragedy. But on the flip side, a lot of e-commerce businesses are thriving. So it's really reshaping the way people get their products. Spend more time with family and less time going to stores, waiting in lines, and ordering products online," Fluxman said.
He said large online marketplaces like Amazon represent one of the biggest opportunities in commerce today because of the built-in intent of their shoppers.
"The thing about the marketplace is it's not about creating demand. It's more about channeling it. When someone goes on Amazon, and they search up vitamin C supplements, they're already having buyer intent. They're already looking to buy a product. Now they're just selecting who they want to buy it from," Fluxman said.
Fluxman explained that smaller and newer brands can now compete for visibility in ways that were not previously possible.
"When you're in a retail store, let's say, you know, back in the day, your goal as a brand owner would be getting to target only the really big brands get good shelf space, like called end caps at the end of the store. So today, you can spend a little bit of money on PPC, which is Amazon pay-per-click campaigns, and you can get right in front of that audience, searching for certain words on Amazon. So you're getting that direct traffic that has the highest intent to buy products that could be a brand new brand or a brand that you acquire," Fluxman said.
When asked what is working right now to grow a profitable brand through e-commerce, Fluxman pointed to creator-driven content and platforms like TikTok Shop.
"In 2026, what's really thriving is online shopping creators. TikTok shop creators are really talking about the products and explaining them. People are now making purchasing decisions based on what others say and explain. It's easier to be sold on a product when you have a consumer really telling you the benefits of it and how it works all through your iPhone, and you can quickly click a button and buy it," Fluxman said.
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