Discussion Essay

 

“Online Shopping”

Online shopping has become a popular shopping method ever since the internet has declared a takeover. There are many individuals that are looking for other amazing alternatives shopping and online shipping is just the fix for that.
There are many advantages of online shopping; this is the reason why online stores are a booming business today. Online shopping includes buying clothes, gadgets, shoes, appliances, or even daily groceries.

South African internet users have increased by as much as 15% in 2009 and similarly in 2010 and 2011. This means that there are more South Africans doing business and socializing online than ever before. In a study done by an international credit card company, more than 40% of South Africans have begun doing their shopping online. Of these online shoppers, 77% have actually bought something in contrast to those who “window shop.” Of these 77%, almost 85% are happy with their transactions.

The main reason for most people not just South Africans for holding back on online shopping is fear of hackers and buying from unscrupulous sellers. However everyone starts from this point of view and as they get to try online shopping using careful security tips, they convert and become addicted to online shopping. Here are some of the advantages and reasons why internet shopping is gaining more popularity.

The first advantages of online shopping is Easy to Find. Finding a product online is much more easier than looking for it in the local store. You can search any product easily by using the search engine feature of an online shopping website. But in store you have to look for it until you find it. Sometime it becomes very annoying when you can't find the product even after looking in the couple of shops. But in online usually we don't have to face this problem. If you don't find a product than you can switch to a new shopping website without wasting your time. For example if you don't find the suitable product in E-bay, you can look for it in the amazon without wasting your time. On the other hand if you do not find any product in the store you have to go to other store which is more laborious and time consuming.

The second advantages of online shopping is Save time and energy. You don't have to waste your time in going to store and standing in front of the crowd. Many people hate to search a product in the corners of a shop and stand in the line for paying the price. Shopping from the local store become more time consuming and expensive if you do not have your own car. You can solve all the above problems just by shopping online.

The third advantages of online shopping is E-business. The progress of online business is actually helping million of people. Now people can buy and sell from their home. People who can not afford to buy or rent a shop, can easily open an online store and sell items from their home. This is playing a very important role in reducing the unemployment rate.

On the other hand, the first disadvantages of online shopping is Delay. The main disadvantage of online shopping is, you can not receive the product immediately. you have to wait until the the product arrives. Sometime it is better to have an item instantly than keep waiting for it for many days. I would prefer to buy an item instantly if the delivery time is too long.  

The second disadvantages of online shopping is Personally Check the Item. If you are one of those shoppers who want to touch, see, and test the product personally, at online shopping, you are not able to do so. Online stores are only showing product description and photos of the merchandise, which can be a disadvantage for many online shoppers.

The third disadvantages of online shopping is Diminished Instant Satisfaction. Unlike buying at retail stores, you are able to use the product instantly after you buy it, which can be satisfying. However, online shopping requires patience to wait for the item to arrive at your door step about 2 to 3 days or even longer depending on the location you've ordered it from.

The last disadvantages is Inferior product and Delivery Problem. In the inferior product, you do not know about the actual quality of the product. Sometimes the description of the product might be different than the actual product. As a result you might end up with inferior quality product. However, Sometime you may face Delivery risk. Delivery risk occurs when the seller fails to deliver the original product or delivers a damaged (inferior/duplicate) product due to shipping problems.

In conclusion, online shopping has the potential to make life so convenient for you. With the increasing cost of fuel, it becomes even more attractive to skip the mall and retail stores unless there’s a special huge sale. Online shopping is continuously becoming more popular and improving every single day. Knowing the advantages of online shopping and its disadvantages is additional knowledge for a lot of online shoppers that are useful before shopping online.