Online shopping is a hot topic these days. Anywhere one goes, this revolutionary system is fast leaving a mark in our culture that today it’s almost impossible to think how our lives would be without it.
The pandemic may have played a huge role in letting that happen, but even before the uncertain lockdowns were carried out, eCommerce has been slowly making its way into our ways of living. If anything that the pandemic did to affect it is by speeding up what was already inevitable.
Amazon may not be the first to have thought of online selling. It may not have been the first to do it. But one can’t deny that it’s the most successful of its kind. Amazon works tirelessly to innovate and revolutionize other ways of how we live. It has been around for a few decades now, so its success can’t just be simply attributed to pandemics alone. The same can be said with other listing services or online retail platforms.
So, we will lay out a few key ideas why eCommerce and online shopping works and why at times, it is just a bad alternative. Here are the advantages and disadvantages.
Advantage
Convenience and efficiency
One of the best things that can happen to you in a day is being able to utilize your time in between your schedule, like when you have lunch or you are on the commute, especially if your day is mostly packed. Because online shopping is done through an app or a browser, you can still be on the go while checking around certain products you want to buy or need. You can shop around without having to spend a big chunk of your time in a day, unlike when you need to walk into the store. At any point of the day, you can browse – even at your bedtime. There’s no specific timeframe that you must adhere to. You rule; you decide.
Review the products
In addition to being able to conveniently and efficiently shop around and make purchases when you do it online is having the ability to directly compare and contrast other products or different shops. In effect, you get the chance to carefully assess which one is better and which deal gets you more savings.
While at first, one may think that this is too time-consuming, let’s consider that if you check each shop in the mall to compare prices, it will take you a lot more time and energy to get it done. When you take this online, not only do you cut the workload, but you also speed up the process. Through online, you can read reviews and testimonials from other consumers who may have bought the product as well, enough for you to be convinced to purchase it or not.
Deals
Most of us are on social media; online retail platforms are just so good at giving out deals, just so you’d buy from them. Although these deals may sometimes be available at the store, knowing them first to be available online just makes one excited.
The excitement will get one carried away; he or she won’t even bother to go to the store anymore. Often, customers are being incentivized by digital adoption. They are being encouraged to do their business online. Special discounts are rewarded to those that are not available at the store.
Disadvantages
You don’t get the product instantly
While online shopping itself is convenient and time-efficient, the problem arises when you need the product or the item right away or instantly. When you order online, it would usually take a few days before your product gets shipped to you. There are online retailers that offer overnight or next-day shipping, but it usually comes with an added cost that you may want to stay out of or outdo the deals you’ve got. So, if you urgently need the product, going to the store will fare better.
Returns and shipping back
Hopefully, no customers would have to come to this point, but it’s an undeniable reality one can’t just simply overlook: returns and shipping back to the warehouse.
Let’s admit that it is already inconvenient to have to return the product you bought when you do it physically when you have bought it at the store. So, think about the burden that will be laid on your shoulders when you have to mail the product. Just as when you received it, shipping it back won’t happen instantly. It’s going to be tedious, and it will surely take a few days, not to mention you will also have to think about refunds. If you used your credit for this purchase, getting your funds back will also take a couple of days.