Is Online Shopping Really Convenient?
What makes online shopping popular? Surveys cite many reasons, but one thing seems to tie them all together: convenience.
E-commerce isn’t the next big thing – it is the biggest disruptive technology to date. Its influence and impact are so significant it is changing the shopping and marketing landscapes.
How massive is it? Statista revealed that more than 38% of the Internet users bought at least a product online. It accounted for about a billion e-commerce customers! Experts also believed it’s not going to go away anytime soon. Instead, it will only continue to grow. What makes online shopping popular? Surveys cite many reasons, but one thing seems to tie them all together: convenience.
Convenience in e-commerce comes in many different ways:
1. Concept
The general idea behind online shopping backs on ease of buying. It follows a simple process. Customers visit a website to buy a product. Then retailers or manufacturers process the orders and send the goods to the chosen address. The simplicity makes e-commerce easy to understand and eventually adapt by thousands of consumers used to brick-and-mortar shopping.
2. Fast Delivery Options
E-commerce sites these days provide various delivery or shipping options, but these are not what sets them apart from traditional stores. It’s the speed. These days, online shops can offer not only two-day delivery but also same-day and one-day shipping. Some also provide after-hours shipping.
Consumers may receive digital products such as courses or e-books in minutes. In a survey, about 60% of buyers want their products available between one and three hours. To meet this need, a growing number of businesses now offer on-demand delivery.
3. Variety of Store Choices
In a data analysis by Pipe Candy, there were already 2 to 3 million e-commerce businesses in 2013 alone. This number still didn’t include those that were in China. Many traditional brands are also shifting their budget to digital. Ralph Lauren, for example, already shut down several of its stores including the flagship Polo shop in Fifth Avenue to streamline their marketing efforts, focusing on its e-commerce channel.
Those that chose to retain their brick-and-mortar store opt to capitalize on e-commerce. Customers may now order products online and then pick them up in the nearest branch. Globalization also plays partly on the convenience of online shopping. The Internet now allows consumers access to international brands even if they still don’t have a physical store in the country.
4. Online and Mobile Tools
The Internet also provides both the buyers and the sellers the tools they need to improve communication and supply chain. For instance, consumers may already inquire about products and services on social media such as Facebook. They can compare products by reading customer reviews and provide feedback as well.
Websites such as Better Business Bureau (BBB) give these customers more knowledge about the brand and the product to help them make sound buying decisions. Online shopping is not without its challenges.
As expectations grow and customers become more demanding, many experts are doubtful if e-commerce shops can fulfill the need. Some also criticize e-commerce for the lack of sensory experience, which should make shopping more enjoyable.
Convenience, though, touches on the practical, and considering the busyness of life, e-commerce meets the need.
