An increasing number of people are buying what they need online. What are the advantages and disadvantages for individuals and to shop online?
There is no doubt that online shopping has become a predominant purchasing channel in most countries around the world. Since 2020, the pandemic has escalated development of digital transformation for companies of all industries. While general public must stay home due to social distancing or quarantines, providing services or products via Internet platforms seems the only method for brands to approach customers. Furthermore, many believe that consumers buying behaviors has been influenced by using digital devices, including desktop computers, laptops, tablets and smart phones. With a huge jump of digital payment transactions via electronic mediums, offline shopping may disappear in the near future. This essay will outline advantages and disadvantages for individuals to shop online.
In general, shoppers could access to online shops without time and venue restrictions. Convenience is acknowledged as the best merit of online shopping. Buyers do not need to commute or struggle to find a parking space so that they could arrive at a conventional retail store at fixed opening hours. Without pressure of staying in crowds and salespersons, consumers could find a product or service anytime and anywhere through e-retailers’ websites or mobile applications around the world. Some people argue that online shopping journeys seem more enjoyable because wide range of purchasing options are always available with detailed specifications in addition to other shoppers’ reviews. Home delivery saves lots of effort in carrying heavy things. Another argument put forward is that immediate discounts notifications and price comparisons benefit shoppers to spend less money.
This may be true but shopping in physical stores could be regarded as a fun social event. Shoppers can try variety of sizes, touch and feel the product, and discern the quality at the same time period. Buyers can get the item immediately without being upset about the delay of delivery or disappointment of products. Furthermore, they can even ask friends’ opinions or chat with sellers. This conventional shopping experience from face-to-face social interactions is not replaceable. Not to mention, shoppers might not be aware of in-store-only discounts if they find products via online shops. Shipping cost is another issue to take into consideration. Online food delivery usually adds commission or service charge. The payment is definitely higher than dine-in restaurants. Shipping cost of products is calculated by volume or weight. If shoppers want to waive the delivery costs, they might need purchase more in order to meet the minimum amount of shopping. In this case, they may spend more money than expected. Last but not least, the most worrying aspects of online shopping are frauds, and security concerns. According to the recent news article by Aaron Holmes via Business Insider.com, he pointed, “533 million Facebook users’ phone numbers and personal data has been leaked online.” Arguably, Facebook is one of the major technology corporations with digital innovations. If such a reputable company could be hacked, how can internet users share their personal information with online shopping platforms?In conclusion, it is unrealistic to think that there is only one form of purchasing channels. Take Amazon.com for example, it is the world’s largest e-commerce corporation. In the past years, it has begun to open brick-and-mortar stores. The first physical bookstore, Amazon Books, was launched in Seattle in the U.S. in 2015. It also acquired Whole Food in order to own 460 stores across the U.S., the U.K. and Canada. There is a tendency that this blended strategy is the key to the future of retail. Consumers cannot be satisfied with a sole shopping channel, either online or offline. Multi-shopping channels creates a complete purchasing journey to meet consumers’ needs and expectations both in their homes and lives. In terms of shoppers, they can not only enjoy the flexibility of online shopping, but also interactivities of physical stores. As a result of that, the first duty of e-retailers is to respectfully handle their users’ data with extremely high level of security protection. The safer shopping experiences, the better sales results.
