Online shopping: gain its advantages and avoid its disadvantages

Which is better for you?

Online shopping or a traditional one?

well, both ways have their cons and pros for both consumers and business owners.

With the growth of the digital world and the existence of online dealers and websites, our purchasing behavior tends to change.

Instead of going and buy what you need, you can get any item by one click!

However, you may face some problems when you buy any products online.

Thus, you might be afraid of dealing online with any seller or retail website.

Let’s discuss the benefits of shopping online and how you can avoid its disadvantages.

Why online shopping?

Customers nowadays choose online shopping because they can purchase their needed items from any place.

Shopping is easier when it is on the internet.

If you want to return your order, do not need to go back to return.

Just cancel the transaction if you want!

Top benefits of online shopping for customers

convenience

Online stores are opening at any time per day and have no weekend vacation to close.

Unlike traditional shopping, you can go anytime even after midnight and order what you want.

Also, you can get an estimation for your order delivery.

This is very helpful for busy people, who have no time to go to stores during regular time.

You can just order by a click at your place!

Money-saving

The main advantage of online shopping is saving your money.

You can get cheap deals and better prices when you order online.

That’s because you can deal directly with the manufacturer or seller without involving the retailer or middlemen.

Also, the website stores are better at shopping as you can get online coupons and discounts.

If you want to economize with online shopping, just do a little online research and look for special offers and coupons.

Variety of products

Online shopping provides you with a diversity of products.

You can choose the good or service that will meet your requirements and suit your budget.

Most online stores like amazon.com, ebay.com, or any online store, provide you with filters with it you can determine your requirement.

Also, you can know what is new and trendy in any category of products.

For example, if you want to buy a new smartphone, you can know what is the upcoming version and even preorder it.

Ability to research in time

Imagine that you want to buy a pair of shoes.

In traditional shopping, you will go to many stores and malls to know the new trend and buy what you want.

This traditional research process might take a long time, maybe a day or a week.

However, in online shopping, you can go to a retailer website, choose the brands, colors, and the size that you want.

If you find what you want, just click order now, choose your payment method, and congratulation you bought your item!

This process might take less than an hour.

No waiting lines

With online shopping, there are no more waiting lines for payment.

You can choose the payment method suits you, and pay by one click.

You can catch Black Friday offers, seasonal discounts and buy what you want without getting on the crowds’ problems such as lack of parking place, availability of products and deals.

No pressure

In traditional shopping, sales representatives try to influence buyers to buy more products.

They can introduce to the buyer complementary products or an alternative product rather than the buyer wants.

While online shopping, you are free to get what you want.

Your purchases depend on what you want.

Comparisons

In online stores, there is a different range of products, brands, and services that many sellers offer.

This enables the customers to choose from this variety after comparing product features, prices, and its finish.

Also, the buyer can see the reviews and others’ experiences about the product or service to help him in making a better choice, which is not included in physical stores.

Easy to send a gift

Before the digital world and e-commerce, to send a gift you have to go to the physical store, choose the gifted item, wrapping it, go to a shipping company to send your gift, or go to your friend to give him it. this seems to be a plan that needs a specific strategy!

Now, you can go online, choose the product that you want, choose that you want to wrap it as a gift, add your friend’s address, pay for it and then send it to your friend.

This process will take only 15 minutes, you will send the gift on time, and you will get your friend surprised!

There is no need to make distance an excuse for not sending a gift on occasions like birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or any special day.

Just click to send it!

More controllable

When you got to the supermarket, you might get items that you do not need.

You tend to spend more than you planned and on items that you do not want.

On online transactions, you do not have to let the store inventory dedicate what you have to purchase.

You can search on any other website and get your requirements on the budget that you determine.

online tracking

Once you made an online order, you can track it.

Trusted online stores provide buyers with up-to-date information about the order delivery status with no fees.

Also, customers can choose the tome that they are available to receive their order.

reduction of environmental pollution

Using online shopping save environmental resources.

As the tendency of online stores reduces the existence of physical stores.

Which reduces the usage of wood, plastics, and other materials.

Also, you can download books and novels instead of printing them.

Which saves trees and reduces paper consumption.

Disadvantages of online shopping for buyers

Although online shopping has many benefits, many people do not like online stores for shopping and prefer a traditional one.

People, especially in Egypt, have lots of fear about online shopping.

Many Questions come up to their minds considering online purchasing.

Is it an original item? why should I trust the seller? what should I do if I received a damaged item?

We will show you the major disadvantages of online shopping and how to face it

The risk of fraud

On online shopping, the risk of fraud is very high.

The seller might take your money and do not send your order.

Also, he/she can non-original items. Or he/ she might send an item that does look like its pictures.

You can find online lots of people say their experience of getting unlikely items.

To avoid this hassle, if you will buy from retailer websites such as amazon, see the seller rating. Try to buy from a seller who has a rating of 4 out of 5 and above.

read reviews carefully and make your research.

If you will buy from the website try scam adviser, it is a good indicator for you to evaluate the website before you buy from it.

Less contact with the seller

In physical stores, you can directly ask the sales representative about all the information you want to know.

Also, you can try the product, see if it is suitable for you, know all the features and make your decision.

However, during your online buying journey, you do not have direct interaction with the seller.

You might need detailed information about the product, need direct help, or ask about a specific feature.

TO solve this problem, most websites add an online chat with a specialist to contact him/her and answer all your questions.

Besides, clothes websites added the sizes in inches and centimeters.
So you can know your exact size.

Privacy and security

The first question comes up to your mind when you think about online shopping, is it safe?

Well, you can buy online and secure yourself!

For Egyptian websites, you can choose “cash on delivery” payment method, so no one can know your credit card information.

If you will pay through your online, try to use pay through a debit card that has a limited amount.

You have to pay attention to HTTPS protocols, install “free spyware removal tools”, know how to identify online scams and hoaxes, surf anonymously, and keep your web usage private. Jerri Collins

Shipping delay

There is no way to guarantee that you will receive your order on time.

Even you choose a trusted website, your order might be damaged, get lost, detoured, or delivered to the wrong address.

However, trusted websites guarantee that you will get refunded or replace your order if you did not get it.

Thus, make sure that you are dealing with popular, large, trusted websites.

Spending more time and money than you expect

Well, you might prefer online shopping because it saves you time and money.

But sometimes that does not happen.

Shopping online can turn into a habit.

Instead of saving your time, you spend the whole day searching for new deals, discounts, and items.

Besides, once you like an item or a deal, you pay immediately for it.

This will turn you into an online shopaholic.

Our advice for you is to try to get what you need, to waste your time and money on deals and offers.

The digital world is a nice place to visit, Not to live there.

Return policy can be complicated

Sometimes sellers and websites make order return very complicated.

Most of the time, they add the unreasonable return shipping cost or expand the refund time till 30 business days.

You can avoid all these hassles if you know about your item well, read reviews about products and take your time before making the buying decision.

Top benefits of online shopping for producers and sellers

Online shopping not only benefits buyers but also benefits the sellers and producers too.

let’s discuss how sellers can benefit from online shopping.

Start and grow

The online channel is the best way for small and new businesses to start.

It can open many opportunities for start-up businesses.

Businesses can reach your target or even global audience, launching products and services with no costs.

Also, business owners can reach suppliers with lower costs.

Low Cost

An online presence guarantees business with nearly no operational cost.

There is no rent cost for a physical store, sales representatives’ salaries or any operational costs.

You just build up your business and start.

Serve Niche markets

E-commerce can help business owners to serve niche markets easier.

y using the different social media platforms and Google searches.

You can determine the features of your niche audience and use online techniques to target and reach them.

Personalized online experience

One of the main advantages of a business owner is website personalization.

You can collect the customer data after they made an order.

Knowing which category prefers, frequency of ordering it and other data.

Thus, you can segment your audiences’ email list depending on locations, purchasing history, product preferences and so on.

And make offers and deal with each segment that is suitable for their purchasing behavior on the website.

No opening time restrictions

Unlike physical stores, you are not restricted by opening and closing time.

You can receive orders at any time and during your weekend.

This benefits your business, as you are maximizing your sales and profits.

Top disadvantages of online shopping for producers and sellers

Online stores are great opportunities for sellers and business owners.

However, it has many disadvantages for them.

We will discuss the top cons that might face your business.

Easy to get imitate

Imagine you have a creative idea for new business.

And your business gets rapid growth and success.

In the digital world, all people keep an eye on new business.

And your idea can be stolen and imitate.

High website cost

As a start-up, setting a new website will cost you lots of money.

An alternative option is to be a seller on any retailers’ websites such as Souq.com, eBay, Amazon or jumia.

These websites will take a percentage of your order, but it is less than the cost of constructing a website.

Technical Issues

On any website, you might face downtime. this can happen especially in offers and discounts times.

This can cause a loss of lots of order transactions and the loss of customers.

Summary

shoppers can benefit from new technology if they use it effectively.

Also, online stores can be considered as a great opportunity for business owners.

Our advice to you is whatever your position, try to get its benefits and avoid its cons.

Did you order online before?

have you started your business online?

If Yes, please share your experience with us.

And tell us how the online world benefit you and what the problem did you face?