Advantages of Online Shopping

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Introduction

According to a recent report published by the Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce, retail ecommerce sales were $211.7 for the second quarter of 2021 in the United States. Evidently, over the years, the internet has revolutionized how people conduct shopping. People nowadays prefer to shop online as opposed to the traditional method of walking into stores because of its numerous advantages. This essay delves into the advantages of online shopping, including convenience, safety and cost-effectiveness.

Online Shopping is More Convenient as it Saves Time.

One of the main advantages of online shopping is that it is more convenient and saves more time compared to conventional in-person shopping. When shopping online, all you need is access to the internet and a phone or computer. Shopping online is convenient because one does not have to travel long distances and deal with traffic to get to the store (Gupta & Chitrao, 2022). Online shopping is also convenient as one does not need to stay in line to wait for their turn to get served, pay or use the fitting room. As long as one is sure about their sizes, they can always make an order online and if the clothes do not fit, one can always have them exchanged. Moreover, shopping online is convenient because shoppers can access facilities and view all clothes that are available at once. By just scrolling on the website, customers can view clothes that are in stock all at once which is better than physical shopping where one must look through dozens of clothes before deciding what they want to purchase.

Online Shopping is More Safer

The second advantage of online shopping is that it is safer than the conventional method of in-person shopping. The emergence of the covid-19 pandemic taught people that safety should always come first. Shopping online is better as there are no interactions compared to physical shopping. One does not have to enter crowded rooms while shopping which places them at risk of contracting covid-19 and other infectious diseases. Additionally, shopping online is less strenuous compared to physical shopping. Less stress helps a person keep their mental health in shape as they do not have the worry of going out to shop (Wei & Zhang, 2018). By just making an order online, they are relieved of the stress of physical shopping. Furthermore, online shopping means that one can do shopping at any time as long as they have an internet connection and a smart device.

Online Shopping is Cheaper

The third advantage of online shopping is that it is cheaper than in-person shopping. By shopping online, one does not have to go to the store. This means it helps save on gas, which is getting expensive by the day. Also, when shopping online, one will realize that there are always discounts and product offers. Most stores incorporate offers such as buy one get one free to attract as many customers as possible. Also, shopping for clothes tends to be less expensive than when one shops in physical stores because online sellers do not have to pay rent or electricity for their stores.

Conclusion

In closing, online shopping is better than the traditional in-store shopping method. Shopping online is advantageous as it is more convenient, safer and cheaper. While the method of shopping is a personal preference, it is evident that online shopping is better than physical shopping. Moving forward, people should weigh the advantages and disadvantages of both online and in-person shopping before selecting a method that works best for them.

References

Gupta, A. N., & Chitrao, P. (2022). Effectiveness of Online Shopping Advantages of Healthy Food Products on Consumer Buying Behaviour. In Information and Communication Technology for Competitive Strategies (ICTCS 2020) (pp. 89-99). Springer, Singapore.

Wei, F., & Zhang, Q. (2018). Design and implementation of online shopping system based on B/S Model. In MATEC Web of Conferences (Vol. 246, p. 03033). EDP Sciences.