The activity or process of buying goods or services over the internet by landing on a seller’s website, exploring and selecting an item, and providing instructions for delivery of the item at your doorstep is known as online shopping. You have the option of either paying for the goods or services online with a debit card or a credit card or upon delivery. Online shopping is a part of the E-Commerce industry and has grown very popular throughout the world considering variations in perception by different countries and in different generation groups from Baby Boomers to Gen X and Millennials.
Requirements for Online Shopping
You just need to have an internet-enabled computer laptop or Smartphone through which you can enter into the global marketplace irrespective of your location. For the payment part, you need to have a debit card or a credit card or internet banking facility. The delivery address should be properly instructed and providing an email address would enable you to track the status of the delivery of the product.
Benefits of Online Shopping
Convenience
It is the most significant reason why people prefer to make a purchase online. Sitting at the comfort of your home in your pajamas, you can visit a site; make a choice of the product that you want, provide the necessary details, make the payment with a click and your desired item is on the way to your doorstep. You save time in the process and are able to carry out other undone tasks.
Comparison factor
You can compare dozens of stores and products at once with respect to price, quality or customer service and avoid getting tired of physically walking in from one shop to another or ending up with sore feet.
Wider Selection
In the case of conventional retail shopping, you have to hop from shop to shop to collect the different inventory required by you but in case of online shopping, you are able to get all your inventory from one seller only because that seller gives you a wide variety of your needs across many verticals ranging from groceries to electric appliances, books to cakes, vegetables to apparels, baby nappies to cosmetics, and so on.
Avoiding the crowd
In case of an ongoing sale or promotion, the crowd in store tends to get a little too overwhelmed. But with online shopping, you need not to worry about squeezing your way through endless queues or worst, driving endlessly for parking spaces. Apart from that, staggering home with ten or fifteen heavy shopping bags through the crowd to your car or home can be a real pain for you. Online shopping gives you the benefit of doing a bag-free shopping and getting all your needs delivered to you.
Availability
Online shopping offers you a 24/7 availability due to which you can make your purchase even in the late hours of the night when all the brick and mortar stores remain closed.
Offers, Deals, and Discounts
Because of too much competition among online sellers, there are chances for you to crack the best deal by exploring the various deals offered by them. Some may offer you a 10 percent discount on your first purchase while others may entice you with a cash back offer. Offers like the deal of the day (DOTD) are common with many websites. Besides, there are sellers who offer you coupons or points to redeem with every purchase. You can check with these offers and discounts online before making a purchase.
Sending gifts to a distant relative
No matter where you are, just make a purchase intended as a gift for a relative who stays far away, include a little note card and surprise your relative by getting it delivered directly to his or her home.
Refund policy
Imagine yourself bringing four sets of dresses to your home after spending hours just to find that one of them is not fitting properly. Rushing to the shop once again for changing it entails wastage of time, energy and money. With online shopping, you can return the rejects and get a replacement or money back.
Reviews
Before making a purchase, you can check the reviews from other shoppers or the rating of your product which will help you to confidently decide whether or not to buy the product or service. In the case of physical stores, the seller will ensure that you hear nothing but the good.
