Shopping online is becoming more common everyday, and spans every type of product and every type of shopper. Online shoppers are all ages, come from all types of backgrounds, and both men and women. So, why do people shop online? And why don’t people only shop online? Exploring the advantages and disadvantages of shopping online versus traditional in-store shopping will answer these questions.
Price
When it comes to price, this tends to be an advantage of shopping online. Because of the plethora of competition, prices online tend to be lower and there are more deals and promotions available online. Retailers and online sellers know that you have other options just a click away, so in order to stay in the game they need to keep their prices competitive. Prices may also be lower because in many cases with online shopping no state tax applies.
Convenience
Obviously online shopping wins when it comes to convenience. First of all, you can do your shopping from home, or anywhere really, and there is no need to get dressed, drive to a store, search for the item, wait in line, and then return home. By shopping online you remove all of those additional tasks that take up time and energy. Purchasing online only requires a few clicks. Shopping online is also more convenient because you can do it anytime of the day or night, and are not restricted by store opening and closing hours. Also, when shopping online you can buy a variety of items and products at the same time, which saves you the inconvenience of having to go to more than one store to get everything you need.
Variety
Another advantage of shopping online is variety. You would have to visit many, many stores, which could take days, or weeks, to find the same selection variety that you can find online within an hour or two (or less). On the internet, you can find pretty much anything you are looking for. In fact, the amount of items available for sale on the internet is astounding, and many of those items aren’t even available in traditional stores. So not only do you have access to more variety in less time, but you have access to more variety in general, regardless of how much time you spend physically going from store to store.