Global business could be facing new economic headwinds as customers reportedly lose trust in? politicians? ?.the economic recovery?
Nope, the internet.
The latest global survey by cybersecurity firm NordVPN has found a staggering one third of all people would like to delete their internet presence.
The survey also found 50% would like their personal financial information removed from the internet.
Long heralded as a silver bullet to address businesses? rising bricks and mortar costs, online clicks have delivered a retail boon in recent years.
During the pandemic, people became increasingly dependent on the internet, whether it be to work from home (WFH), or online shopping applications.
Online sales increased 39% in Australia during the pandemic.
The internet shapes as a key pillar in most Australian businesses? future growth plans.
And with more than five million Australian households buying online each month, the plan stacks up.
But if the survey proves correct and consumers desert the internet in such numbers, the once golden future of online sales may not be as bright as it was once thought.
If the exodus from social media platforms is anything to go by, the survey could be on to something.
Earlier this year, Meta - the parent company that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp - revealed that its Facebook arm had lost users for the first time in its 18 year history.
Almost half a million users exited the platform in the last three months of 2021.
So do the survey results foreshadow a canary in a coal mine for online sales?
Or will it continue to be business as usual?
Ironically, when it comes to the internet, the greatest source of user frustration could also be the network?s greatest strength.
The ubiquitousness of the internet and our reliance on its connectivity, as proven during the pandemic, means giving it up entirely might prove a bridge too far.
For the foreseeable future, online sales will continue to be the goose that lays the golden egg for many businesses.
And that seems unlikely to change anytime soon.