Technology, without a doubt, is expanding more and more day by day and business organizations have already started moving from the traditional marketing techniques to an electronic marketing approach. Business organizations are using the Internet in order to perform their business operations as a primary vehicle. There are no space limitations on websites i.e. e-commerce sites and Price Comparison Sites and other online stores – displayed a vast range of products from needle to airplane. It helps potential buyers to buy their favourite product after a good search.
Why online shopping is so popular and why do people prefer shopping online? Aside from advantages, are there disadvantages of online shopping? Read on to find out!
Advantages of Online Shopping:
We have mentioned some of the advantages of buying products online that might be appealing to you if you haven’t bought anything online so far.
- No Crowds
Obviously, everyone hats crowd (like me) when it comes to buying something – especially during weekends, festivals and holidays. I think it’s such a headache, isn’t it? Not only this, a market loaded with people sometimes make us feel hurried and rushed. Moreover, you also have to battle for car parking. Thankfully, all these things can be avoided if you shop your desired item online while sitting on a sofa, holding a phone or tablet in a hand.
- Easy Price Comparison
Researching for products and then comparing their rates is so much easier. For instance, if you are looking for a home or kitchen appliances, you can find other customers’ reviews and ratings with ease. The price comparison site named Paylessdeal.com.au is the leading Australian platform that helps you find your desired product, compare it with numerous stores and buy it at unmatched rates maybe with instant discount – depends on the store you choose to buy from.
- More Variety
The Internet is loaded with a vast range of products, undoubtedly. Nearly every brand or product you’re searching for can be found easily. Just as an example, if you need to buy a smartphone i.e. Samsung Galaxy A50 which isn’t available on a local store, you can get it by visiting any online store even at the lowest rate than the local store. Yes! You read that correctly. Moreover, without spending cash on airfare, you can understand the recent global trends. Instead of being restricted to your own geography, you can buy from distributors in other areas of your state, country or the world. A much larger choice of colours and sizes is available than you can discover locally. Furthermore, the inventory is much more abundant, so that your size and colour are always found. There are even some online stores who accept orders for products and ship when they arrive.
- Quite Convenient
Comfort is the greatest advantage, of course. Is there anything else can you shop comfortably in your pajamas at midnight? Perhaps, no! While shopping online, there will be no lines to wait in or cashiers to assist you with your purchases. Online shops offer us the chance to shop anytime we want at any time and also give us “no pollution” shopping experience. There is no better location to purchase information goods such as e-books that are immediately accessible to you once payments are made.
- No Pressure
According to the survey, so many people when shop from local stores, they end up buying products that they really don’t need. It happens due to the shopkeepers’ pressure or their exceptional skills that compel people to make these purchases. But online shopping is entirely different. Let me give you an example, if you are a smartphone lover like me and need to buy a smartphone e.g. Samsung Galaxy A80, the shopkeeper wouldn’t force you to buy any other device just because he will earn more income from his sale. Mind-boggling?
Disadvantages of Online Shopping:
Aside from its mind-blowing advantages, online shopping has some disadvantages as well. The disadvantages of online shopping include:
- Privacy and Security
It’s not deniable that safety and privacy both are legitimate concerns for any online shopper – but you can make your transaction secure by taking some precautions. For instance, do prefer buying from the site with HTTPS protocols, install Spyware Deletion Tools, learn how to stay secure online and always surf anonymously. These are some of the intelligent methods of dealing with privacy and safety policy.
- No Physical Checking
If you are shopping online and buying a clothing item, you wouldn’t be able to check its material and quality. And if you are unfamiliar with your measurements and the offered clothing brand, this could turn out to be a very poor experience. For this reason, most online stores make it simple for you to return your product. However, detailed measurements and manufacturing data are normally posted on websites to minimize yields.
- Shipping Delays and Problems
Every best shipping company or online store goes through the bad days (not exactly!) – therefore, there is no surety that you will get your item on the time unless you pick it up yourself from a store. It’s also expected that item would be damaged, lost or delivered to the wrong address.
- No Sales Assistance
Usually, somebody in a shop can assist you to buy the right one but you are alone online. And it’s just too bad for you if you have some questions and quite confused. However, there are some well-known websites that offer Live Chat option to assist their users with immediate effects but it’s very rare. You may have to buy blindly and later regret errors because nobody talked to you.
- Risk of Fraud
As compared to buying physically in the store, there is a larger risk of fraud when it comes to buying online. Chances are the online store you are buying your desired item from may steal your information through your credit card and misuse it later. Bogus websites, fake products, identify theft, hacking and phishing are the common frauds.
The Bottom Line:
All in all, it’s entirely up to you to decide whether you are interested in online shopping. Maybe online shopping makes more sense than buying locally for some types of purchases. The online shopping, without a doubt, available broadly which means today’s customers have more choices as compared to the decades ago. Like buying locally, the online shopping is also safe if you think carefully of your choices and keep all the precautionary measures in mind while buying, so you can make wise, intelligent and comfortable buying choices that fulfill your requirements.
