Many people are starting to feel the benefits of online shopping. Conventional shoppers are slowly adopting to the change. because of becoming more efficient over time with technology in their hands.

SHOPPING is therapy to many. But the supposed escape becomes detrimental when dealing with huge traffic, consumer competition during each season (e.g. Boxing Day, Christmas Season, Valentine’s) and inaccessibility to products from the other side of the globe.

In 1979, Michael Aldrich, made such task easier by inventing Online Shopping. He did this by connecting a modified television via a telephone line to a real-time multi-user transaction processing computer.

The rest became history about how other brilliant minds had come up with several ways to ease the program. The internet had given power to these through cashless payments, media advertisements and social networks. And today, all of us are benefiting from their fruits of labor given these benefits of online shopping:

1. CONVENIENCE – Shopping while you’re in your pyjamas, sipping a cup of latte’ seemed impossible to do 10 years ago. Nowadays, you can because of online shopping. You experience virtual reality of the product you are interested in at the palm of your hand. Without hassles, you can choose with a swipe, click to buy and receive the product. All in a matter of minutes and all within the comfort of your home.
2. CONSUMERISM – You were checking the SALE rack at the mall. Then here comes your catty social climber co-worker coming at you. She catches you off-guard then makes a big deal of you checking out cheap clothes. With the words “So this is where you shop your tacky clothes? No wonder!”, you wish you were not in that situation. And that’s when online shopping becomes handy. Nobody can judge you in purchasing cheap yet stylish clothes that work with your body frame! Not to mention, the lingerie you’ve always wanted to try for yourself to surprise your husband with; That sex toy that you needed to research about because you’re a writer, or a filmmaker, but you feel uncomfortable going to kinky places that offer them. No need to worry because you can do it online. And the cherry on top of the ice cream? Consumer have the power to buy something online for loved ones living far away at the other side of the globe and have it delivered straight to their homes.
3. COMFORT – There’s always something addicting about shopping per se. It’s that feeling when you walk through halls of malls, the feeling of the product in your hands and being able to buy it for yourself. Sadly, you will only feel this on a Monday, at 11am, right when everybody is at work. But during rush hours, on weekends and when it’s periods of sale, the experience does a huge turnabout. It’s hard to find parking spaces. The queues are long and there’s a great chance that what you are buying ends ‘out of stock’. These challenges consume most of your precious time. Instead of resting, you put the effort in going to the malls for it, lining up for it and dealing with huge traffic back to your house after finishing it. With online shopping, all the joys of browsing, ordering, and paying, are at hand. And while you wait for your package to come, you can use your time efficiently by attending to other things on your to-do-list. At the comfort of your own home, office or bus ride, you can do online shopping. Also, if you are the kind of person who’s up for DIY tasks for your home, online shopping helps a lot because pails of paint, a kilo of nails and plywood for instance could be a burden to bring home all on your own. You parked near the store? Good! But if you don’t own a car or you live for example, in Hong Kong (where the ideal mode of transportation is the MTR), good luck!
4. CHEAPER PRICE – It would take trusted websites to consider this benefit because if the product is not of quality then it’s like throwing    away money. But online shopping experience takes away the gas money, impulsive costs, Starbucks money (because you needed a breather from all the walking) and of course, the wasted time taken away from you. I don’t need to emphasize on how time is gold. But even if you add the shipping fee to your purchased order (at a certain amount, it is usually waived), it still won’t account the subtracted unnecessary payments in between going to the store and coming home when you shop conventionally. Needless to say, online shopping is cost-efficient. Besides the deals that you get seasonally, referrals, as far as bringing friends in this convenient experience is concerned, rewards you with a fee.
5. COMPARISON – Browsing digitally makes all products available for comparing colors, designs and more importantly, prices, easily and breezily. To know if it’s ‘sold out’ or ‘out of stock’ is readily accessible. Important details about the product such as specs, performance and reviews are also handy as you choose the right product for you. You could enjoy availing services at the nearest shops, if need be, because it usually comes with the location map. As compared to finding your way doing conventional shopping, online shopping empowers you by giving you an overview of whether your product is worthy to be purchased or not.
6. CONNECTION – One of the greatest advantages of online shopping is the ability to connect supply and demand in a large-scale. Building a connection is something that technology couldn’t take away from people. But it worked its way around facilitating it. Through online shopping, you can send loved ones abroad your thoughts and love on special occasions. Even if you’re not together at that moment, you can have a gift delivered at their very doorstep. Just a few moments spent tinkering with your smartphone for the right product. But it could result to a moment that they will remember for a lifetime.
7. CONSERVATION – Most of products online are pre-ordered. This prevents wasted resources over demand that wasn’t there in the first place. Conventional shopping leads to mass production of clothes that will go out of style one way or another. When you do online shopping, you help the world conserve its resources. Moreover, it conserves your own resources: money, time, effort.
8. COMING TO AID – When you purchase something online, the built-in system engine optimisation of the website you had browsed products from will help you by giving you options based on your shopping behaviour. When you deal with the staff of a store personally at the mall, you are gauged most of the time based on your size, preference and physical looks. So, when they give you options, it’s more of their personal preference than yours.

Now, I encourage you to ponder on these 8 C’s as you shop today. Online shops do their best to put up quality products for you. I love shoe shopping and if I will buy it online, I would definitely have to consider 5 FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN SHOE SHOPPING in addition to these C’s!