Comparing and Contrasting Online with Traditional Shopping

Innovation and creativity have revolutionized business trends worldwide. Information and
communication technologies have had considerable influence on the modern society, changing
how as well as where people work, shop and other ways of our lives. It is not a surprise to see
many people choosing online shopping as compared to traditional shopping. They are both
convenient ways of shopping, essential to the human life. There exist some fundamental
differences and similarities between online and traditional shopping. The aim of this work is to
compare and contrast online with traditional shopping.

A recent study established uncertainty as one of the major inhibitors of online shopping.
The buyers who preferred online shopping to traditional shopping incurred more risks. More
online customers have had their privacy violated after their information gets to the internet than
traditional buyers. Unlike traditional customers, online shoppers have had to contend with delays
in the delivery of ordered items. Sometimes, the products are not delivered at all. In some other
cases, online shoppers have had to cope with goods that are out of their specifications such as
wrong sizes, weight, color, design, and sometimes even broken items (Horrigan, 2009). Unlike
the online shoppers, traditional customers get the chance to use all their senses in
selecting merchandise that merit their needs and preferences. A customer in need of a particular
dress would have the opportunity to try the dress out to see if it fits compared to the other person
who shops online. Those shopping online have to trust just a picture when shopping. Some of the
online sellers zoom the picture of the item, so the item could be smaller (Forsythe & Shi, 2003).
Nonetheless, since an individual does not have to pay a physical visit to the mall, some expenses
are cut, such as transportation and parking fees. It is time effective as moving from store to store
is reduced. Also, one does not need to put on fancy clothes when going for shopping like in
traditional shopping (Horrigan, 2009).
We tend to think of online and traditional shopping as two different animals, but they might be

more similar than we think. Smile.io found that there are more similarities than differences in both

shopping experiences, with five key factors to consider. Location is essential in physical stores,

but it’s also important in online shopping. Customers in remote places can tilt towards a

particular website due to shipping costs, always leaning towards the better alternative. We can

argue that online shopping is inherently more convenient, but layout and branding are critical to

work that potential. It is vital that products are easy to find. Being an industry expert makes users

trust you. In brick-and-mortar stores, this can mean having a knowledgeable staff; online, blog

entries and live chats can do the trick. A unique store or a website that’s easy on the eyes can do

wonders for user experience. You want your business to be inviting online and traditional. You

don’t need to have the lowest prices to be competitive. Brands may cater to audiences willing to

pay the extra buck, but customers need to feel there’s an inherent value to spending a little more.

In conclusion, as discussed above, there are merits as well as demerits involved in both online
and traditional shopping. It is likely that those who are interested and enjoy shopping as a hobby
may prefer to do it in person and those who do not find pleasure in shopping may be just as
happy as to do it online.