The easy access to internet services has revolutionized the way we shop. Instead of the conventional method of visiting physical stores, people can now browse desired products and make purchases within a few minutes. Because of such easy convenience, more and more people these days prefer buying things online. You can get your orders delivered at your doorstep, and features like cash on delivery, pay later, return and exchange, etc have strengthened e-commerce shopping. Besides, online shopping stores do not have space constraints, you can find a wide variety of products across various categories all under one roof without having to step out of the house.
After a good search online, you can find any desired item and purchase it in a few clicks. However, online shopping also comes with disadvantages. Not every single online purchase is guaranteed to be a worthy one, and not every shopper has a happy and satisfactory shopping experience. There are certain problems shoppers might face while shopping online, because of which there are people who prefer offline shopping. In this regard, we have curated a list of advantages and disadvantages of shopping online. Read below to know more about it!
Advantages of shopping online
Convenience
The biggest perk of online shopping is convenience. You can shop in the comfort of your home at any time of the day and night. You don’t have to wait in long lines or seek the help of the staff to help you with your purchases. You can do your shopping in minutes with just a few clicks. Online stores allow 24/7 accessibility with a hassle-free shopping experience. And with the information available you can gain insights into the products you want to buy and find the best picks. And if you’re dissatisfied with your purchase, you can exchange, replace or ask for a refund without having to step out of your home.
Better Prices
When it comes to online shopping, you will always find products listed at cheaper prices as compared to offline stores. As online products are directly supplied by the manufacturer or seller, there are no middlemen involved. Additionally, you are likely to find the same products on various websites, because of which you can compare prices and settle for a better deal. Many online sites and stores also offer discount coupons for shoppers. You can easily find such coupons through search engines like Google. There are also stores like Carrefour and Sephora that offer discount coupons like Carrefour promo code, and Sephora promo code, utilizing which shoppers get huge discounts on their purchases. Shopping online involves a better price, and since online stores have no physical location, there is no sales tax involved, so you’re always likely to get products at reasonable prices.
Wide Variety of Products
The product choices you get online are tremendous. You can find almost anything you’re looking for from various brands. You can shop international trends from retailers in varied fractions of the state, country, and even the world without spending on international fare. From fashion to groceries, electronics to accessories, you can purchase anything, even services like travel, tourism, home cleaning, health, education, and much more. Additionally, the stock is more plentiful, so you’ll always find the items in your fit and shades. Some online marts even accept orders for out-of-stock items and ship them when restocked.
You Can Send Gifts More Easily
You can now send gifts to your close ones in an easy manner, no matter whichever part of the world they might be in. So whether it’s someone’s birthday, wedding, anniversary, or something special, browse for a suitable gift and have them shipped and delivered to doorsteps. Some stores even provide gift wrapping services, which makes gift shopping merrier. Now, no need to make distance an excuse for not sending a gift on occasions to your loved ones. Besides, you can even gift the freedom of selection by sending gift cards such as Amazon gift cards to your loved ones.
Easy Price Comparisons
Access to the internet has made comparing and researching products and their prices much easier. You can look for any product online and go through the specifications before making a purchase. Also, go through consumer reviews as they are the best bits of genuine information. Instead of making quick purchases, compare the products from websites and then opt for the best prices. As most shopping platforms consist of a large variety of products, you’re likely to find the same product. You can also shop at discounted rates by visiting websites like www.couponcodesme.com where you can find hundreds of verified coupons that will help maximize your savings when shopping online.
Disadvantages of online shopping
Shipping Issues
Not every shopping experience can be smooth and happening. Likely, even the best in the field of shipping businesses and online retailers can have unpleasant days. So, there’s no assurance that you’ll receive your order at the right time. Unless you grab it from an offline store. Most often, items get skirted, lost, damaged, and even delivered to the wrong address, which is unlikely to happen when shopping offline.
High Risk of Fraud
Shopping online comes with a larger risk of fraud and scams Especially, if you’re shopping from websites that are not credible. Nowadays even social sites like Instagram, Facebook, etc are used for selling products, so the risk factors are likely to be high. Other common scams include phishing, credit card extortion, hacking, identity theft, and counterfeit products.
Spending Too Much Time Online
If your job pertains to staring at a computer screen all day, you might get exhausted from all that screen time. Online shopping involves a continual sprint of scrolling and clicking down the rabbit holes. Also, an e-commerce marketing strategy usually aims to get us engaged with visually appealing portrayals, and before you know it, you don’t even realize the passage of time. The internet is a nice place, however, you don’t want to spend too much time online.
Returns Can Be Complicated
Not every return and replace policy is as smooth as it seems. Some salespeople make the procedure easy, however, many make the same process difficult. While some don’t even provide such policies. Oftentimes, you can also get charged extra for shipping costs. The return and replace policy involves a hassle process of reaching out to customer services, packaging, shipping, tracking, and filling it, which can be avoided when shopping from physical stores.
No Sales Assistance
When you visit an offline store, there’s usually someone to assist you concerning your purchase, which is absent in online shopping. You’re basically on your own and have to do research before making a purchase. And if you’re still confused or have queries, you might have to make blind purchases at your own risk.
