Advantages and Disadvantages of Buying Local

Advantages and Disadvantages of Buying Local

Buying local is a method of purchasing products in the local market without market diversification. In this process, goods and services are made available in the local market to meet different consumer needs and consequently resulting in a cohesive market. With the consideration of many factors in marketing, different pros and cons come up with regard to buying local. There are more disadvantages than advantages of buying local and their effects are felt by different stakeholders in the market.

Quality Concerns

The quality of some products such as food is not guaranteed in local purchases. Food is not screened to determine its quality and local producers believe their products are the best in the market since there is little competition and interference from external sources (Alton). Buying local exposes end consumers to different effects in relation to the food and other materials they consume without knowing the required standards. People should ensure they have a proper market mix to access different products from different sources by diversifying their reasoning to accommodate products that are in other markets.

Lack of Competition

Local buying does not encourage competition. Business people like the market concept since they face little competition from other external competitors in a bid to get more customers. The disadvantages of ineffective competition are that no new ideas are brought to the local market to improve diversity and quality of products (Hua 199). Locally made goods do not encourage creativity beyond the products which are already in the market. When the goods, which are produced and consumed locally, face competition from other goods from different sources, there is diversity in different aspects of the market such as customer relations and quality of goods and services in the local market.

Higher Costs

Local buying exploits consumers in terms of price. Locally produced and consumed goods are costlier compared with those ones which are produced from external sources. Increased costs are a disadvantage to business people and consumers of products. Local flow of money decreases when locally produced and consumed goods are expensive (Kambale). The purchasing power of customers is reduced in this process and they seek to use alternative products. Local buying makes people lose more money than what they are making as traders in most cases produce the goods they sell. They do not include the production, storage, and transportation costs in their final price. Buying global is more advantageous than buying local since people get exposed to different market structures and dynamics which encourage diversity.

Limited Variety

Buying local does not encourage variety. The goods and services, which are available in local markets, are few compared to the global market. This discourages the variety of production, and fewer products are brought to the market. In most cases, the goods produced from the global market are better than those produced locally (Mallick and Mukhopadhyay 392). Customer preferences are not met in local buying, but in most cases, they are forced to buy local products because they lack an option. Local production faces the challenge of access to fewer resources. Most businesses on the local scale produce using manual strategies as opposed to global markets where goods produced employ technological methods.

Limited Information and Marketing Strategies

Local buying has a shorter history and is locked from major publications with regard to the production and sale of goods. A shorter history in production means that the information available to consumers is limited, and therefore they do not make good decisions in relation to the suitability of some products for their use. Competitors from the global market have developed strategies that have been in place for a long time and hence effective. Global buying encourages the use of different publications in the production and marketing of goods and services (Morrison 425). These publications are not available in local purchasing, and therefore local buying is limited to the use of traditional means of production without getting information that is published in these publications. This is likely to put the local businesses at a crisis, as they cannot be warned of emerging trends in the market. Local buying relies on individual relationships for businesses and is tied to the physical location of outlets. This discourages the adoption of good marketing strategies and market mix. Global buying has many strategies of encouraging diversity in the production and distribution of goods and services through the internet.

Advantages of Local Buying

However, there are advantages to local buying. Local buying encourages expansion of the local economy, and this is beneficial to the people in the local setting. Creation of jobs is another advantage related to local buying, and customers are guaranteed to get personalized advice from vendors on specific aspects of the products (Pratap). Local buying encourages the social development of the local community and consequently leads to the creation of sound relationships between people.

Conclusion

In conclusion, local buying has more disadvantages than advantages. Buying local discourages the production of a variety of goods and services, and it leads to poor customer relations. People should be aware of the many shortcomings of buying local to help them make the right decisions on the purchasing strategies they should use for effectiveness. Buying local should be discouraged for a progressive society.

Works Cited

Alton, Larry. “The 7 Disadvantages Local Businesses Face Online (and How to Beat Them).” Entrepreneur, 2016, www.entrepreneur.com/article/285990 Accessed Oct 19 2018

Hua, Wen. ”Between the Local and the Global.” Buying Beauty, 2013, pp. 186-205.

Kambale, Sylvie. ”The Pros and Cons of Buying Local Produce ” Medium, Medium.com/the-pros-and-cons-of-buying-local-produce-80f59158b3de. Accessed Oct 19 2018

Mallick, Debasish N., and Samar K. Mukhopadhyay. ”Local design vs. global design: A strategic business choice.” European Journal of Operational Research, vol. 131, no. 2, 2001, pp. 389-399.

Morrison, Janet. ”Environmental challenges: global and local perspectives.” The International Business Environment, 2006, pp. 423-446.

Pratap, Abhijeet. ”Local Buying Advantages and Disadvantages for the Local Economy.” Cheshnotes, 11 Dec. 2016, www.cheshnotes.com/2016/12/is-local-buying-favorable-for-the-local-economy-or-not/. Accessed Oct 19 2018