According to a recent BigCommerce study, 96% of people shop online. There
are many varied and vastly different reasons why some people prefer online
shopping rather than shopping at a mall, and there are many differences between
the two.
When you shop online you have a much
wider choice
of stores. It takes very little effort to go from one ecommerce site to
another, but when you shop at a mall, you are limited to only the stores in the
mall.
Online retailers tend to have a much
wider range
of products. Ecommerce stores aren’t limited by physical floor space, which
means that they usually have more products on offer. It also means that they
tend to have more stock of a particular product, so online shoppers can almost
always find what they’re looking for. If the product is out of stock, many
ecommerce stores will notify the customer when it has come back in stock.
People who shop online cite easy price
comparison as one of the reasons why they choose online stores over
physical ones. Online shoppers can check the price of the item they want to
purchase across a range of sites in a matter of minutes. Offline shoppers can’t
do this as easily.
Also, online storefronts usually offer better deals and
prices. Online stores don’t have the same overheads as physical stores,
which means that they can offer products at a much lower price point. Many
consumers also find that online stores offer better deals and sales than
physical stores.
Many people find online shopping much
more convenient.
Malls have defined closing hours so shoppers are limited by those hours. Online
shopping is available all the time, which makes it much more convenient. You
can literally be anywhere while you shop. In fact, 43% of online shoppers shop
while they’re in bed.
Offline retailers promote that they
are able to offer a much more personal customer service
experience. Offline customer service is usually face to face. Although,
according to Heather Smith, Online shopper behavior analyst for Fragrance 365, the
Canadian online fragrance store, this does not have as much influence on
shoppers as it once did. She says that as online communication efforts are
improving, with online chat, email and even video calls becoming common methods
of customer service, most shoppers feel that they are still getting a personal
experience.
There is one reason why some shoppers
prefer offline shopping. You can try the item on before
you buy it. However, with returns and exchanges for online shopping becoming
even easier, many people say that this no longer influences their shopping
decisions. Online stores use photographs, videos and the product descriptions
so shoppers can get an idea about the fit of the product. Also, many online
stores allow comments and reviews on their products, which can help consumers
make up their minds about purchases.
Online shopping is definitely growing
more and more popular, because of the differences that it offers over offline
shopping. Convenience, lower prices, and a wider selection of products are
highly appealing for consumers, and many people now prefer to shop online.
You usually can find more
cheaper and various kinds of goods online, for example, if you want to buy a
bridesmaid dress in this season to attend weddings from the shop, you could
cost nearly 100 dollars or more. But here you can find some pink bridesmaid dresses and purple bridesmaid dresses on ever pretty online shop, this
two colors perfectly match the spring season.
