The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer is B. It can attract customers from a wider area.
Adopting an e-commerce platform is a strategic way for Jalissa to expand her sandwich shop by significantly increasing its market reach. A physical storefront is typically limited to customers who live, work, or travel nearby. Its customer base relies heavily on foot traffic and local word of mouth. By creating an online presence, such as a website for online ordering or listing her shop on food delivery applications, Jalissa breaks these geographical constraints.
An online platform makes her business discoverable to a much larger audience. Potential customers in neighboring towns or different parts of the city who would never have physically passed her shop can now find her business through a simple online search. This exposure can attract new segments of customers, including people working from home, students in nearby areas, or families looking for convenient meal options. This expansion of the customer base directly translates to an increase in orders and revenue, which is the core of business growth.
The other options are less likely or incorrect. E-commerce would not eliminate the need for workers (A); in fact, increased online orders would likely require more staff to prepare the food and manage the orders. It would not necessarily decrease security costs (C), as it introduces new cybersecurity risks and potential expenses to protect customer data and online transactions. Finally, while revenue may increase, it is not because e-commerce simply allows her to increase prices (D). Revenue growth would stem from a higher volume of sales due to reaching more customers, not from arbitrarily raising prices, which could make her less competitive. Therefore, attracting customers from a wider area is the primary way e-commerce would help her expand.
