Online Shopping – The Pros and Cons
Online shopping is a phenomenon that has been growing consistently in the last decade or so. The growth is directly linked to increasing purchasing power of consumers and also the rising levels of awareness in the masses. In fact, the phenomenon is so widespread now that everybody has an opinion or a story to tell about how this type of purchase results in good deals or how someone got fleeced by an online website. While a half of these stories could be true, the other halves are definitely misconceptions. This is the reason why we will make an effort to list all the pros and cons of purchasing products on the Internet. The following is the list.
Pros:
1. Online shopping will almost always result in the prospective consumer, finding multiple options for the item that he or she is searching for. This is in contrast to doing the same in a mall or a commercial center as there are so many options available.
2. This kind of a process will also make it easier for the prospective consumer to compare the variety of options he or she has. This is possible because in this process the features and other aspects of a product are easily accessible. Therefore, a prospective consumer can compare features, costs, durability, maintenance costs, or any other aspect of the product that he or she can think of. Consequently, in the majority of cases, doing this will result in the purchase of a product at a much more reasonable rate than its physical counterpart.
3. Purchasing items online allow a sense of financial security as the prospective consumer has a solid paper trail to back his or her claims. If the product is lost in transit or damaged in transit, then it is easier for the prospective consumer to claim for the same.
4. On an all round basis, online shopping also makes it easier for the prospective consumer to shop as he or she is sitting at home and not wasting time and money in traveling.
Cons:
1. Although this results in multiple options being provided to the prospective consumer, it takes away the option of trying and actually handling the item before purchase. This can really hamper the efficiency of the whole process of purchasing something, especially in the case of clothes.
2. When in a shopping center or a commercial complex, a person can ask for a live demonstration. Online shopping has no alternative for a live demonstration of a product. There is only the option of a video which is not sufficient for a diligent shopper.
3. There is a possibility that a prospective shopper gets fooled into buying something that he or she may not want. Furthermore, since for purchasing products online one requires credit cards, there is the danger of misuse of the card by a site that is not reliable.
4. This activity has been categorized under the category of therapeutic experiences by many psychology experts and many women across the world would agree with the same. Therefore, online rendition of the same takes away the pleasure of window shopping and trying multiple items before a purchase.
