Time is changing and technology has made our regular chores so much comfortable. Everything is now just a click away; shopping has become more comfortable as there is no need to visit a store physically and invest your time in searching for the products. In the current scenario, the internet has transformed the ways that people can do shopping these days. Because of the numerous benefits, more and more people in present days prefer online shopping over traditionally visiting stores. Here are the top 10 advantages of online shopping.
Why Traditional Market Retailers Should Adopt Ecommerce?
With technological advancements, shopping trends among the customers have changed over the past few years. Also, the increasing popularity of online shopping has integrated into our lives and imagining a day without it seems to be a difficult task. According to studies, there has been a tremendous increase in the sales of eCommerce websites every year. With a whopping amount of $2.8 billion in the last year, retail eCommerce sales are expected to reach nearly $4.88 billion by the year 2021. With the huge impact of online transformation over the eCommerce sector, people are more likely to buy a product online rather than going to a store. So, now let us dive into the top 10 advantages of online shopping.
10 Advantages of Online Shopping
- Convenience- It is one of the significant perks of online shopping. Can you imagine visiting a store in your night suit late at night? No, right? But online shopping offers you the pleasure f shopping at your favorite shop from the comfort of your house. Also, you do not have to waste your time standing in long queues to wait for checkout and you can finish your complete shopping within a few minutes. Moreover, the most significant perk of online shopping is that there is no time limit as it is open 24/7. Online websites are the best places to get all your informational items, like e-books, that are immediately available as soon as you pay the whole amount.
- Cheap rates- Online shopping offers the same products at a much better rate because of the continuous cheap deals. The price reduction is mainly because the product comes directly from the manufacturer in most of the cases, and it does not involve any third party in the middle. More significantly, it is also simpler to compare all the costs and find the best deal that suits your plan the most. It not only helps in reducing the expenses, but taxes are even less compared to physical shopping. Similarly, it costs you gas and fuel money which is a bonus.
- Variety- Online places offer shoppers more varieties. You can find nearly all the items and brands that you are searching for online. Most significantly, online shopping is not geographically restricted, and you can visit the international stores too and purchase items you always wanted to buy.
- Sending gifts- Gone are the days when you had to wait for several months to get your gift delivered to your loved ones. Online shopping has made it easier, too, as it does all the shipping and packaging for you. In some cases, brands even wrap the gifts for you and send them to your loved ones.
- Control- This is one of the most important benefits in the list of 10 advantages of online shopping. Online shopping is under control compared to traditional shopping methods as it does not need you to plan and get ready for the shopping spree mainly. All of us want to shop in a more relaxed environment without any attendants nagging on our heads constantly. So, what can be a better place for you than your own comfortable house?
- Easy comparison of product prices and quality- Price comparisons are simpler online because of the varieties available. Think about purchasing mobile phones. Online gives you more varieties, making it simpler for the shopper to compare the costs. Most significantly, it offers a platform for previous shoppers to share their shopping experiences. Based on their views and experiences, you can buy the products you like.
- No crowd- We bet, most of us hate crowded places as the crowd makes us feel tired, which ultimately affects the purchase decision. More importantly, staying under the shop assistant’s surveillance is the most disturbing part of conventional shopping. Well, you can avoid the crowd in the shopping centers by choosing online shopping.
- No pressure- Online shopping is hassle-free and does not have any sort of pressure. Most of the time, we end up purchasing unnecessary things and then, later, regret spending too much money to purchase slightly damaged items at affordable rates. This is the benefit that the conventional mode of shopping does not offer. Along with that, online shopping is the best place to get your antique products as not most of the conventional shopping stores have the facility of offering them.
- Subtle buying- Online shopping is the rescue for all those who hate shopping in the mid of the crowd and pressure.
- Best place to buy discreet items- Many of you will agree that some things are well done in the privacy of your home. Online stores are the best for discreet buying for products like sexy lingerie, adult toys, and so on. If you do not want anyone to find what you are buying, it is better to shop online rather than visiting the place physically.
Additional Benefits of Online Shopping
- You receive an electronic receipt of your purchase, which makes record keeping simpler.
- You can try things in the comfort of your own home.
- Returns are hassle-free.
- Timesaving
These are the top 10 advantages of online shopping, but as we say, there are two sides to a coin, online shopping has disadvantages too.
Few Disadvantages of Online Shopping
Negative impact on gas and packaging. Having your purchase packed in various layers of plastic and cardboard containers and delivered right to your doorstep is good for you, but not so great for the environment. Even if you try to recycle the cardboard, you will create unnecessary waste by purchasing online.
Delays and shipping issues. Even the biggest shipping companies and online retailers have bad days, so there is no way to make sure that you will get your hands on your purchase on time unless you choose it up from the store. Items get detoured, lost, and delivered to the wrong address more often.
Fraud risk. If you are purchasing online, there is a high risk of fraud: phishing, credit card scams, identity theft, counterfeit products, hacking, and various other kinds of scams are quite common.
Spending too much time online. Mainly if your job needs you to look at the computer the whole day, you might get burnt out on all the screen time. Online shopping can turn into a marathon of clicking and scrolling down the rabbit holes and before you even realize it, you have been online for most of the day. The internet is a better place to visit, but you possibly do not want to stay there.
No contact with society. If you do all your purchases online, you will never get a chance to leave your home. This might be good for a while but sometimes, you might feel like going outside, breathe some fresh air, talk to people, and just be a part of the crowd. Sometimes, a computer monitor cannot compete with a human connection.