Online shopping is better than conventional shopping – an Open Speech
The Internet has revolutionized the way we do our shopping. The businessman regards the Internet as a modern effective tool for business transactions. Online shopping is the act of purchasing products or services over the Internet.
Let us compared online shopping to traditional or conventional shopping. Online shopping, particularly during a festive holiday season, alleviates the need to wait in long lines o search from store to store for a particular item. Conventional shopping in the brick and mortar building entails leaving the home to jostle with the traffic, crowds, and long queues.
What are the advantages and benefits of online shopping over conventional shopping?
First, there is the convenience of being able to shop 24 hours a day for any type of product imaginable. The ability to shop from home allows many people (the elderly, the disabled, young mothers) to still purchase the products and services they need. Then it is more comfortable, doing it in the comfort of your home, instead of running around in the store. Online shopping allows you a 24/7 shopping time. you can surf the Internet at any time of the day and buy your goods. You can find and buy products from all over the world.
Second is that goods are often cheaper as the seller does not have the costs of running a shop. You have the opportunity to compare as many products and prices as you want without having to spend the time and money to travel between several different shops. You get cheaper deals and better prices with discount coupons and rebates thrown in.
Third, you will also be able to read reviews y previous buyers and select your purchases with additional information from satisfied customers. The photographs and illustrations help you choose and recommendations from others help you decide.
Like in other forms of business, there are disadvantages too.
First, online shoppers face fraud and security concerns. It has also been widely criticized for being very insecure. Even with the latest security ware, hackers still manage to find a way to steal your data. Online shoppers should first familiarize themselves with online stores and how they protect their data before going on an online shopping spree.
The majority of online shoppers are unaware of various hacker attacks, phishing scams, and how they affect them. Not knowing how to keep yourself safe is the biggest disadvantage of online shopping. despite warnings from Snopes and other cyber “police” sites, the store may be a scam put up to gather people’s credit card data and social security numbers.
Second, online shopping puts you at a disadvantage. You can’t see and feel first hand or try for size your purchase. You take the word of the description of the product which is usually cleverly crafted by online stores to make it sound appealing to people. There is no hands-on inspection, nor visual or physical impact for product suitability. Only when it arrives at your address, do you have the opportunity to check the purchases for what it is advertised as. The greatest rip is the inaccurate transactions which could result in no savings or additional expenses to the buyer. this is probably one of the biggest disadvantages of online shopping that turns many people off.
Third, there is no means for you to check for the full cost or hidden cost not until something unexpected happens. Online shops do not always list the other additional charges. All these hidden costs: handling fees, packaging costs, shipping or transit costs, replacement costs, return costs, fluctuating currency rates, can add up to quite an exorbitant sum. Are they borne wholly by the buyer?
There are many other online issues that are more technical in nature: usage of the computer, slow online connectivity, viruses, and time zone differences. Other aspects would be personal to the buyer: credit card payment, no cash transactions, immediate gratification, invalid warranties, no refunds, and non-delivery of purchases.
In summary, the main advantages of shopping online are convenience and cost savings, while the main disadvantages are security risks and reduced hands-on purchase gratification.
In conclusion, to benefit truly from online shopping, one has to be an intelligent experienced Internet user as well as a streetwise e-commerce online shopper.
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