Globally we are spending more and more money online than ever before and it’s accumulating at lightning speed. Once it was just CD’s and books as lots of people just wasn’t confident about shopping online and many were worried about the credit card details being safe. Fast forward to today and almost everybody shops online […]
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Online Shopping – Advantages and Disadvantages
The advent of technology brought many benefits along with it, but the dark aspects are also not hidden. Activities that used to take a great deal of time are now cut down to a few clicks you perform online though the internet. When it comes to shopping, the online mode of it has brought about ease and comfort to a great extent. Shopping online looks like the easiest thing you can do when you are in a rush to get things. There you shopped and here you receive your items shipped to you in less then 24 hours time.
If you are thinking this is all what online shopping has brought about, then you certainly have ignored the other part of the story. Here are some advantages and disadvantages of online shopping.
Advantages of online shopping:
Online shopping is accessible round the clock. You can buy whatever you want even at 3 a.m. in the morning. You can choose from a wider variety of things available for you to shop which may not be availabl
e in the local brick and mortar stores. You also have the benefit to do all from the comfort of your own home. When you buy from online store you have the comfort to take your time while checking for the things of your choice, this will lead you to a simple and quick way to perform price comparison unlike the dissatisfied and hurried shopping you do in the local stores.
In addition, unlike local stores, you can avail discount coupons and get a thing at a lower rate when shopping online. Besides, when shopping online you can also avoid long lines to wait in and the unnecessary contact with cranky people. If you feel uncomfortable dragging your kids for shopping, online shopping is the best way to counter that. Most of us are sometimes concerned with private shopping; online shopping offers you a great platform to do so with comfort. Also, when you are buying gifts, online mode is the perfect way to send your distant friends or relatives the gift you wanted to send.
When it comes to payment, you can use anyone’s credit card when shopping online. A lot of us are concerned about the identity theft when hear about online shopping. Identity theft cases take place in reality in brick and mortar store itself and not online. Websites are secure these days with powerful encryption procedures that keep your identity safe and secure. Although there are a few where your information may not be secure, you can take a peaceful breathe when dealing with the vast majority of online shopping website. Consider websites that offer free shipping and this is definitely the way to go. As the price of gas is increasing, shipping and handling might be cheaper anyway.
Disadvantages of online shopping:
Although online shopping is 24/7 available, you cannot feel or touch items rather can just see what is present on a webpage whereas in brick and mortar stores you can see many things at a glance and buy after you feel or touch the product. As the term suggests, online shopping is only possible through the internet, therefore, the connection speed matter a lot here. Unlike conventional stores which don’t close unexpectedly, online stores incurs frequent malfunction.
The most common grumble people have with online stores is regarding warranties and some sort of guarantees, which they fail to offer in most cases. Apparently, these would mean nothing if the online store went bankrupt. Similarly returns are also very much difficult on online stores than in local stores.
It very normal that many online stores don’t accept cash or checks, although some sites do, you still have to use the credit cards. When purchasing online, billing errors are the common things you may encounter whereas in local stores these errors are nearly impossible.
The very big disadvantage an online website may have is the credit card security issue, despite the fact that how secure the website claims to be, you can not always trust them. There have been many cases where people realized that their credit card number has been stolen and has been used by others.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1333827
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Your Ultimate Shopping Guru – 5 Reasons Why Online Shopping Is the Best
Internet today have changed many people’s lives. It made their lives easy and comfortable. So comfortable that almost everything can be done online – socialization, work, pay bills and shop without leaving their homes.
Above all, one activity done in the internet which is online shopping is growing tremendously. A recent study in US alone found that nearly half of the population is purchasing online. This is because a lot of people have discovered the advantages of online shopping.
Convenience
This is one reason why people love to shop online. Shopping on the web allows consumers to shop at the convenience of their own home. People who have disabilities, ill or those who are too busy to go to stores can still purchase what they need online.
Imagine how crowded shopping malls are during holidays or weekends. Shopping online can avoid crowds that make people irritated waiting and falling in line just to pay for the items that they have just bought. And problems finding a parking place can be eliminated.
It is very convenient because consumers can shop anytime of the day without worrying about store hours. Online shopping gives consumers the ability to shop at a time that is convenient to them.
Moreover, shopping online makes it easier to send gifts to relatives, friends and loved ones since most online shopping websites offer fast and reliable shipping options. It’s a great way to surprise loved ones too.
Accessibility
Anyone with an internet access can just log and can look and purchase for items they want no matter where in world they are. No need to waste time and energy to go to stores that are too far just to buy items they want.
Through online shopping, people can shop overseas without even traveling.
Affordability
Shopping online can save money from traveling expenses, food and impulsive shopping. Used or old stock items can be easily found online which are much cheaper such as books and furniture.
Sometimes is it is even tax free. Those online stores that don’t have a physical store in some state don’t have sales tax.
Best Buy
Easy access to the product’s information gives the consumers better choices. Aside from the information that is available at the online store, consumers can easily search the internet for more information. Moreover, they can look for the product reviews and ratings which are great help to the consumers in making wise decisions.
Aside from the information, product reviews and ratings, online shopping gives consumers wide range of choices. Going to traditional stores usually limit the choices of consumers which force them to buy things that they don’t really like.
Confidentiality
There are things people want to buy in private. Items such as adult toys, sexy lingerie etc, through online shopping consumers can do discreet purchases.
Even with these advantages of shopping online, a lot of people still don’t trust online shopping for security reasons. However, there are simple solutions for this problem.
Shop Online Securely
• Find out about a merchant by visiting its website. Look for guarantees, warranties and return information.
• Look for online shops that have symbols like unbroken lock or key, URL that begins with https:// and sites that have SSL or “Secure Socket Layer”, this means that the consumers and the merchants can only view the payment information.
• Look at the privacy statements to know how the consumer’s personal information will be used. Reliable merchants always make this information easily available to the consumers.
• Always pay purchases with a credit card, check card or PayPal.
• Always keep records of transactions. If it is possible, always have them printed.
There are so many advantages of shopping online that attracts consumers to shop online – convenience, accessibility, affordability, best buy and confidentiality. However, there are few consumers who don’t trust online shopping. On the other hand, with these simple tips on how to purchase online securely, consumers can enjoy the wonderful benefits of online shopping and be satisfied.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6017969
Online Shopping Offers Today 