Positive and negative effects of online shopping

Positive and Negative Effects of Online Shopping

Today, many people now prefer to shop online over going into physical stores. The advent of the internet and improved logistics technology has made online shopping a cheap and convenient alternative. However, this convenience has its own cost. Increased pollution and waste, along with the destruction of small businesses, are all negative impacts of online shopping. In this article, we will attempt to gain a clear picture of all the pros and cons of online shopping.

Positive and negative effects of online shopping

Advantages of Online Shopping

Convenience

The first and foremost advantage of online shopping is convenience. You won’t find huge lines, the hassle of carrying heavy shopping bags, or traffic on the internet. Instead, you get an extensive range of products in front of you to explore and compare any number of times. Improved logistics technology means you don’t have to wait weeks for delivery anymore. Companies like Amazon even offer same-day delivery in some cities.

Always Open

Unlike local stores, online stores are always open, allowing you to shop at your convenience. If you run out of trash bags or dog food, you can place that order at midnight instead of waiting until the next day.

No Pressure Shopping
Online shopping gives relief from unwanted sales pitches. Online, you won’t find pushy sales representatives trying to influence you to purchase products.  You would not face any crowd, and no need to possess exemplary negotiation skills to get genuine deal for your purchased.

Saves a lot of time
Customers don’t need to stand in large queues that is mostly seen near to the cash counters to make the payment of their products. They can easily shop from the convenience of their home and don’t need to spend time in traveling. Customers can even look for products that are needed by them by using search engines or inputting the right key words.

Ability to perform comparison
Online shopping relieves the consumer from the hassle of visiting a handful of shops, and do the comparison so as to get the best price. Companies can showcase the entire range of products that are offered by them. This will help them to entice customers with varying needs and tastes. It enables consumers to select from a wide range of models after performing comparison of features, quality, and cost of products shown on display.

Online stores, on the other hand, gives you an ability to compare a product based on its price on prominent e-commerce retail stores. This greatly helps a consumer to make an informed purchased decision without wasting his energy, time and money in commuting from one shop to another.

Better deals
Online products are provided at a wholesale rate so you are destined to get loads of discounts on your purchase. In this way, it helps you save a lot on your hard-earned money.

Easy tracking
Online shopping gives you a facility to track the status of your purchased goods, along with their order status and shipping.

Negative Effects of Online Shopping

Shipping issues
In case of online shopping, consumers may face hassles related to shipping of their products. There is a possibility for the items to get detoured, lost, and damaged. It may even reach at the wrong address.

Delay in delivery
Lack of proper management of inventory can lead to shipment delays that ultimately frustrates the customer. The result is that they don’t consider that website for their future purchases.

Lack of feel and touch of merchandise in e-shopping
Inability to touch, feel and try goods creates concerns related to its product quality. Online shopping isn’t appropriate for garments as there is a possibility that customers don’t get a chance to try them. There is no facility to closely examine a product. Possibility of misleading electronic images can get you a product with modified colour, and appearance too. This can result in a regretful purchase and can cause a lot of hassle later.

Lack of interaction in online shopping
If you are buying a product for the first time, then an interaction with the sales person is needed so that you get proper knowledge about the product. When you visit a physical store, you get the facility to interact with the sales person who will personally attend you and assist in buying goods. This will assist in making a right and well-informed purchase.

Frauds in online shopping
Shopping online can be risky. It can give rise to frauds such as phishing, credit card scams, identity theft, hacking, bogus websites, and counterfeit products.

Complicated returns
A few ecommerce store sellers make the task to get the refund or return the merchandise difficult for their consumers. Also, almost all sellers done reimburse the cost of shipping goods.

Alan Behrens

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