Advantages of Online Shopping

Incredible convenience: In comparison to a brick and mortar store with fixed hours, online shoppers
can choose any time of the day or night to get on the Web and shop. This is especially useful for
moms with small children, people that are home-bound, or simply in times of inclement weather.
Price comparisons: When you visit a store, you most likely have to settle for whatever price the
vendor has placed on a particular item. Not so with online shopping – you have the ability to
compare prices from hundreds of different vendors (see The Top Nine Comparison Shopping Sites).
Infinite choice: Shelf space in a brick and mortar store is limited, which means that your variety of
goods is limited. Not so with an online store. Plus, if you don’t see what you want in one store
online, you can simply move on to the next one – you’ve got the power to do that.
Easy access to consumer reviews: It’s easy to access consumer reviews for pretty much any product
you can think of online, which makes for more informed purchases.
No pressure sales: We’ve all been awkwardly propositioned by eager salespeople. You don’t have
to put up with that online.
These are just some of the advantages of online shopping. Are there disadvantages? Let’s look at a
few that might deter some customers from buying goods online:
You can’t try things on. If you’re buying a clothing item, you don’t have the ability to feel the
material, try it on, and see how it’s made. Unless you know your measurements and are familiar
with the brand of clothing offered, this could end up being a bad experience.
You can’t talk to someone immediately. If you have a question about what you’re looking at, you
probably will have to wait at least 24 hours to get a question answered (however, many sites have
“instant chat” enabled that take care of this issue).
Privacy and security: Privacy and security are legitimate concerns for any online shopper, but there
are precautions you can take to make sure your transaction is a safe one. For example, paying
attention to HTTPS protocols, installing free spyware removal tools, knowing how to identify
online scams and hoaxes, surfing anonymously, and keeping your Web usage private are all smart
ways to address any privacy and security issues.

Limitations of online shopping

1. YOU DO NOT PHYSICALLY SEEN THE ITEMS:
Normally when we shop from a regular store, we can see the item and at least visually inspect that it
looks fine. You can select a co lour, size and can even speak to a sales person to clarify doubts
regarding an item. I feel the biggest disadvantage of online shopping is we do not physically see the
item till it arrives. May be you have seen it in the nearby mall but there is a possibility that the
particular piece you have ordered may be defective. Misinterpretation or misunderstanding of items
bought online is a common problem. Usually the photo of items you see online are much better than
once you have the item in front of you.
2. WAIT FOR THE ITEMS TO ARRIVE:
Once you place you order the waiting game starts. You have to wait for a few days for the item to
arrive which can be quite frustrating. Most experts believe that we are most excited about your
“buy” in the first few days, so by the time your item arrives you will most likely be less excited then
getting the item on same day you made the payment.

3. CHANCES OF MISHANDLING WHILE SHIPPING /

DELIVERY RISKS:
What if the item you are expecting never arrives, you will be lost in a series of phone calls to the
seller and the courier company. What if you are not at home during the time of delivery and the
courier company leaves the package on your door and a passerby decides to steal it? What if the
shipping company broke your stuff and you realize it after opening it when the courier man has
already gone away. The seller might claim that you broke it.

4. SHIPPING CHARGES:
Only a few sites offer free shipping, some others will ship for free only if your total purchase price
exceeds a certain amount. Shipping fee is often a big discouragement for online shoppers.

5. RETURNING MERCHANDISE:
Even if the seller agrees to take back the defective merchandise, you often have to pay the cost of
shipping it back. Additionally you have to call and convince the people regarding the reason of your
return. Some good sites do have excellent return policy, but not everyone.

Comparison between online shopping and offline shopping

Offline shopping is becoming rather polar. Customers either want service, or they really *don’t*
want service. It’s not that customers are unclear about whether they want to purchase, it’s that they
are absolutely clear about why they are shopping. They either have a purchase in their minds, or
they are shopping predominantly as a form of therapy, and simply wish to interact with the goods.
Customers have reached a position where if shopping is entirely experience oriented and not goal
oriented, then they find sales assistants a *disincentive* to enter a store. As they grow in
sophistication, customers’ respect for, and tolerance of sales assistants is actually reducing.
So essentially the changes I see are a marked separation of goal oriented shoppers and experience
oriented shoppers. Shoppers who have a specific purchasing goal in mind are time conscious and
want service immediately, and at the lowest possible price. Shoppers who are experience-oriented
find sales assistants irritating and officious. And I think the internet and online shopping is actually
contributing to this polarisation process.