There was a time when online shopping was like an alien concept to all of us. Only a few players managed to risk their business on an online platform when the consumer was an ardent believer of retail stores. But in today’s time, the scenario has completely changed.
With more than half the population using Smartphones and the Internet with ease, online shopping has become a more preferred choice than retail. Sure, nothing can take the place of retail stores, but with the kind of speed with which the online stores are going, even the retails have no choice now but to have their own online store or put up their products online in some way or the other.
With so many people favoring online shops instead of retails, there must be some solid reason for it. I say there is not just one solid reason but a number of solid reasons. Take a look at the list of the benefits of shopping online instead of going to the stores. After reading these you’ll either say “oh yes these are the exact reasons why I shop online” or “dude, I’m going to shop online from now on!”
1. Shop Anytime, Anywhere, Anyhow
Convenience matters the most to a lot of people. Even if it doesn’t matter the most, it’s only natural to choose it if you have an option. Retail shopping means you need to decide a specific time to go as it is not open all the time and you have to travel to that place in clothes that are acceptable in a public place.
On the other hand, you can shop online 24×7, from anywhere and even in your nightwear. Which one sounds more convenient to you?
2. Discounts, Sales, Coupons and Gift Cards
There are so many online players in the market today that in order to compete with each other they provide high discounts and sales that you won’t usually get in a retail store. And the best part is that a large part of the stock online is always on sale. Also, gift cards work like magic online.
And you don’t really have to do a lot. Use the gift card and bam you got an even cheaper price. Moreover, there are many other hacks to save money while shopping online.
3. Variety makes the Difference
Online shopping is like a shopping mall at your fingertips. You get so many options and brands, and you don’t have to walk into each store. They are all on your computer or mobile screen with their prices.
4. Comparison Helps in Better Buying Decisions
Another major benefit of shopping online is that you can make the best buying decision by comparing. As I said before, there are so many brands under a single shopping site and so many shopping sites all over the Internet. If you want to buy a specific product, all you need to do is search for it on these sites and compare the prices, the brands, whatever you wish.
5. Easier Returns
A lot of people do say that getting the real feel of a product is only possible in a retail store. Whether you want to check the fabric or the size or just how it looks on you; it can’t be done online. That is the exact reason why most of the online shopping portals have a breezy return or exchange procedure.
The size doesn’t fit you? Exchange it for the one you think would fit. The material doesn’t seem as good as it looked online or you just don’t like the product for any reason? All you need to do is return it and get your money refunded. This is especially useful in the case of gifting because with online shopping you can the product directly delivered to the person you want to gift the product.
And the return will also be picked from their doorstep in case of any issue. Now imagine the same situation with a gift bought from a retail store. You or the person you gave the gift to will have to go all the way back to the store to get it changed.
6. Staying Indoors can Save you a Good Deal of Money
Do you remember the last time you went shopping to a mall? Did you just buy what you were looking for or did you buy more? Did you spend on eating? Did you spend on travelling? I bet you did all of this and more.
That’s because going retails shopping automatically entails the cost of travelling, eating and impulsive shopping. None of these happen when you are shopping online.
7. Major Turn Offs of Retail Shopping
You don’t have to stand in queues, get lost in a crowd, look for parking, pay for parking, carry shopping bags and use public restrooms when you shop online. Nuff said.
8. Shopping with Kids
I have already told you the nightmares of shopping at a mall. Now imagine this with kids and your mind will boggle doubly. Shopping needs time and patience. And those are two things you can never have with kids. So, whether you want to shop with kids or for kids, the best option is online shopping.
9. Best for Bigger Items
Online shopping is anytime better for items that are big in size. At a retails, the store might or might not give you the option to deliver the product. They might even push you to take it home in the car. But in online shopping, everything gets delivered to your doorstep. Some sites don’t even charge you for it.
10. Know the Truth from your Fellow Shoppers
There would hardly be any person in a retail store or a mall who would share their buying experience from a particular store or a particular product that you are looking for. Online shopping means the customer is king. The customer can give ratings and reviews to a product and make it very easy for you to decide whether you want to purchase the same product or not.
Now it’s your time to judge which shopping mode to choose for what type of shopping. Frankly, both types of shopping have their good and bad sides. It’s you who has to choose the right track at the right time. Best of Luck!
