Introduction
How many times could everyone trudge through a crowded mall, only to discover that the product they seek is sold out or overpriced? This scenario can be considered a thing of the past, as the benefits of online shopping beckon customers into a world of convenience, affordability, and choice. People’s everyday lives are filled with commitments and obligations that leave them little time and resources to navigate the traditional brick-and-mortar stores, and online shopping allows for finding any goods that can be shipped from any part of the globe quickly and easily.
Benefits of Online Shopping
First, online shopping eliminates the arduous task of commuting, while presenting consumers with more time devoted to the family, work, or personal development. For example, Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer, reports that its Prime customers usually save an average of 1.5 hours per week, saving about 75 hours a year (Howley, 2021). The opportunity to make purchases quickly attracts millions of customers to online shops annually. Moreover, many online platforms provide customer reviews and ratings, giving clients valuable insights into product quality and performance before purchasing (Sari et al., 2021). This advantage is seldom available in physical stores and can save customers from regretful purchases.
With the wealth of global inventory at clients’ fingertips, online shopping significantly increases product availability, offering an unparalleled variety of products. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that there are situations when offline stores can suffer from the lack of popular products (Pham et al., 2020). Still, online shoppers are usually the first to secure their supply through platforms like eBay and Amazon, while physical stores can struggle to restock. Moreover, consumers save an average of 15-20% online compared to shopping in physical stores (Sari et al., 2021). The reason is that price comparison and cashback services allow shoppers to find the best deals.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is impossible to ignore the immense convenience and benefits of online shopping. While traditional shopping is still popular and important, more and more customers are exploring the digital marketplace because of its convenience. It provides myriad opportunities to save time and money and receive precisely the needed products. After all, shopping should be an enjoyable experience, not a stressful chore, and the power of online shopping supports this idea.
References
Howley, D. (2021). Amazon Prime now has 200 million members, jumping 50 million in one year. Yahoo News. Web.
Pham, V. K., Do Thi, T. H., & Ha Le, T. H. (2020). A study on the COVID-19 awareness affecting the consumer perceived benefits of online shopping in Vietnam. Cogent Business & Management, 7(1), 1846882.
Sari, R. K., Utama, S. P., & Zairina, A. (2021). The effect of online shopping and E-wallet on consumer impulse buying. APMBA (Asia Pacific Management and Business Application), 9(3), 231-242.