497 SW Marine Dr #447, Vancouver, BC V5X 0C7

What are the advantages and disadvantages of online shopping

What are the advantages and disadvantages of online shopping

Online shopping is a type of shopping that is done through the online store and people can make their purchases online. If you’re a business owner, you’ve probably heard a lot about the benefits of turning your business into an online business. This may seem dangerous or complicated to many people. But there are many benefits to online selling or e-commerce.

Some of the most important benefits of an online store

  1. Incredible convenience in an online store:

Compared to a traditional store where you can only shop at certain times, online shopping means that whenever you want to shop, you can easily go to a store or store site, scroll, select and Then easily buy.

This is an ideal option for mothers with infants, pregnant women, in adverse weather conditions, as well as for those with limited time. That is why the use of an online store builder has been very popular in various industries.

  1. Comparing prices:

You can easily go from one online store to another online store, scroll, compare prices and choose the item you need. You can even use online store builder software, or other related software developed to compare prices. Online stores usually offer good discounts on terms and occasions to keep their customers.

By subscribing to the newsletters of these stores, you can find out about special discounts. Implementing all of this is directly related to creating an online store.

  1. Presence on the Internet provides a better image of your company

That alone can be enough to get a new website up and running online. Without a website, blog, or any kind of internet presence, customers will not realize how serious you are about your business. Today, companies large and small, in whatever industry they are, try to have a strong presence on the Internet.

  1. Unlimited selection:

The space of a traditional store, no matter how large, is limited. So, the number of products is limited, but in an online store, there are many choices. Even if you do not find the product you are looking for in a store, you can easily visit another store with one click.

  1. Access to consumer feedback:

You can easily read other consumers ‘and customers’ descriptions of a product in the comments section and make informed decisions.

  1. Save time:

By shopping from an online store, you do not have to spend a lot of time in the traffic and bustle of the city, but without wasting time, you get your goods in the shortest possible time. Of course, you can add air pollution to the list to stay safe.

But in addition to these benefits, we have to consider the potential problems of an online store and online shopping.

7.  Access to your company’s services is 24 hours

Although many stores, gas stations, and hospitals provide 24-hour service, this is impossible for many businesses. Of course, it is better to say that this is impossible without the Internet. One of the most important benefits of an online store is that it allows customers to place orders at any time of the day or night. Imagine how profitable this can be for your business.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of online shopping
  1. You can provide better customer service

The Internet allows you to answer customer questions, hold webinars for sales or advertising, and address customer issues. All this is done without wasting time. All you have to do is make a video or a list of frequently asked questions and refer your customers to the relevant page for years to get their answers. By doing this, not only you are saving time but also you are providing better customer service. Customers are usually looking for specific information. Information that is important to them is usually divided into two categories:

  • Information needed for purchase decision before buying
  • Solving a problem that arises during the purchase process

By creating a website, you can provide all the information that customers need, just when they need it. This means that phone calls to solve problems will decrease and sales will increase.

  1. You need less money to startOne of the advantages of an online store is that it costs less to build. Setting up an online store is not a complicated and expensive task. You do not need to buy real estate, cars, and office supplies and you only need a limited number of employees. All you have to do is prepare your store site and move your business online. This change can be made much easier if you already have a traditional company. You continue to sell the same products that you already have enough of, and going online only increases the number of your customers.You can design and launch a website for very little cost.
  2.  In the online store, distance doesn’t mean anything 

Another benefit of designing an online store is that it eliminates gaps. The distance of customers to your store is only one click. Through the Internet, you can connect with customers, answer their questions and solve their problems. Most importantly, you can receive orders and payments directly.

11. You can work anywhere you like

Do not like to leave the house in winter in cold weather or because of air pollution? Are you bothered by the heat and humidity in your city? Internet business frees you from the shackles of location and allows you to work wherever you are comfortable. As long as you have a good internet connection, you can live anywhere in the world and run your business. Many people live on one continent, but their warehouses are on another continent. One of the most important benefits of an online store is that it allows you to tailor your business to your lifestyle, not the other way around. Of course, there are exceptions. Some people, such as surgeons, architects, and painters, definitely need a special place to do their job.

If your business offers products for sale, we recommend that you read the article on ways to increase sales.

12. Your company’s operating costs are reduced

Just by doing a simple task you can drastically reduce costs. For example, registering orders online eliminates the need for customer service staff. Online sales allow you to place both orders and payments online. This reduces the number of employees and, as a result, administrative and office expenses.

In addition to registering orders and payments, you can also manage the rest of your business online. These activities include paying bills, tracking orders, and sending goods. Another application of the Internet is to answer customers’ questions and problems quickly and easily through frequently asked questions and online forums.

13. You can target the global market

Traditional companies and stores can only accommodate a limited number of customers at certain times, let alone that many people do not know many of these companies at all and are unaware of their existence. With a good store site, hundreds or even thousands of people can visit your online store at any time. Imagine how successful your business could be if you could introduce your goods and services to an unlimited number of eager people!

Of course, the ability to have thousands of visitors is very different from having thousands of visitors. To enjoy the benefits of e-commerce and online shopping, you need to do the same things that traditional companies do: marketing and advertising. You need to learn how to increase the traffic to your online store website. One of the most effective and low-cost methods in this way is to use social media to introduce and promote your website to increase online sales.

14. The speed of the company’s response increases

One of the advantages of the online store is that it allows you to respond quickly to customer orders, offers, and other customer needs. Online stores record and confirm customer orders. In traditional stores or companies, order registration is usually done by phone, and the registration and follow-up process are done by employees. Depending on the day-to-day work of the staff, order processing may take days. But online stores have a convenient app that allows you to quickly check not only orders, but also inventory, daily sales, and anything else you need. Responding quickly to customer needs brings them satisfaction and less office work for you.

15. Analyzing the accuracy of visitors

One of the most important differences between a traditional store and an online store is measuring the number of visitors to your site.

In internet marketing, with tools such as Google Analytics, etc., you can observe accurate statistics of how users visit and, accordingly, make executive decisions to turn as many visitors as possible into customers.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of online shopping

Disadvantages of using the online store

In addition to the advantages, there are disadvantages. Despite the success of online store design, there are still several drawbacks to people complaining about. These disadvantages include:

  • Impossibility of inspecting the goods closely

One of the problems that people face in online shopping is not checking the product closely. In the online store, only the product description and its photo are displayed, which causes problems for online shoppers.

  •  Decreased satisfaction at the moment

Unlike buying in the real world, the user will not be able to use the product immediately after purchasing from the online store, and it will not cause satisfaction as it does in purchasing in real world. In online shopping, the customer has to wait a while to receive the product at their door.

  • Technology barriers

The low speed of the Internet and low speed loading pages of the sites and the existence of problems registering on the site and signing up in a shopping store website are the main causes of customer dissatisfaction with online sales sites.

  • Security barriers

Lack of security for transactions is one of the most important concerns of customers and causes many people to not trust online stores.

  • Lack of interaction between buyer and customer

Traditional stores allow users to negotiate prices with buyers. Apart from the discounts that employers offer to customers in certain periods, there is no discount when buying a product in the online store. Some people can get bargains while shopping from traditional stores, but this is not available in the online store.

  • Internet scams

Experience has shown that some online stores have been set up for fraud, or their payment system has not been secure, or even users’ privacy has been violated. This creates a bitter experience of online shopping in the minds of users and reduces the trust of this group of users, even for buying from secure online stores.

Therefore, customers should make sure that they have chosen a safe online store to buy before buying and entering their personal information.

Leave feedback about this