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Shopping has become an integral aspect of modern life. According to the rise in popularity of the internet, the development of online shopping turned the process from a necessity into entertainment and stress relief. The shift in consumer culture brought new possibilities but also unknown risks. While traditional shopping offered many advantages that online purchasing lacks, the latter significantly changed the social perception of the buying experience.
Models of Types of Shopping
The patterns by which the stores operate online and in real life are similar, but they realize each aspect in a particular way. There are the same categories of products online and in-store; however, the feature of human interaction is considered one of the main peculiarities of going to a shop. Consultation and advice regarding products became a norm that online shopping lacks. The support services try to replace the same function, though a customer needs to wait for an answer from a representative, which worsens the overall experience.
The essential point in purchasing goods in departmental stores is a significant number of various sales and new collections. Customers tend to choose stores that provide discounts or special offers, such as buy two to get the third item free. Both retail types apply this practice to attract more clients. However, while traditional stores use banners and posters for advertising their offers, online platforms use promotional emails, packaging inserts, and social media promos, which are more successful. Therefore, stores work according to the customers needs and preferences, utilizing different strategies.
Purposes of Shopping
Despite motioned features, the shopping experience became more entertaining than practical. Receiving promotional mail, people spend endless hours searching for products they like on sale without buying anything. This process is equally relevant to online and offline retail, with internet platforms gaining more popularity in entertainment. It results from an opportunity to expand the shopping cart without checking out. The concept of fantasy shopping makes people create shopping lists according to made-up events or occasions. According to statistics from Baymard Institute, about 70% percent of shopping lead to abandoned carts. At the same time, going on a shopping spree or trying on clothes without buying is becoming less popular. Therefore, shopping as an entertainment prevails in e-commerce, leaving in-store retail more useful for practical purchases.
Convenience and Time Consumption
However, there are a few advantages of electronic commerce; thus, e-shops have become less time-consuming and the most convenient way of buying goods. More people make purchases online due to the internets accessibility regardless of location. Furthermore, an online store has no working schedule, making a purchase available anytime. Also, ordering products online takes less time than driving to the local shops and provides a variety of brands that may not be available offline. However, it still has to be delivered to the customer, making the process longer. There is also a problem of shopping cart abandonment due to expensive delivery fees. Despite that, e-commerce changed the perception of shopping because customers are willing to pay fees and wait longer to get the exact product they want.
Accessibility and Selection of Goods
Nevertheless, offline purchasing allows choosing products according to needed criteria and inspecting them in real life regarding quality or sizing. The opportunity to see and touch contributes to the final decision-making about the purchase. That lowers the probability of returns, which is significantly higher on internet platforms, with 20% of online orders being returned versus 9% of offline ones, according to the National Retail Federation and Appriss Retail. The results mean that a more extensive selection of brands and products does not always grant the best buying experience.
Risks for Customers
Having a good shopping experience may also be threatened by online security problems. Millions of people are targeted with fraud via internet shopping worldwide, but that does not mean that brick-and-mortar retail completely erases the risks. Accessibility of online platforms also provides the means to connect with customers in other countries, making online crimes, such as identity theft and personal data fraud global.
A decisive factor in avoiding fraud is using trustworthy online platforms that provide solid personal security of customers data. Most reliable retail companies, Amazon or eBay, provide Buyer Protection, which refunds a total purchase price with an original shipping fee in case the order has not arrived or came not as described. It is the customers responsibility to choose a reliable platform to leave personal and credit information. The same rules apply to selecting offline stores because they may steal personal data through the exact mechanism of credit transactions. Though the cases of online fraud occurrence are similar to offline marketing frauds, the internet has an easier way to utilize them and is less safe for customers.
Conclusion
E-commerce and offline retail work according to the exact patterns and face the same risks but realize them in various forms and manners. Online platforms center on convenience and accessibility; these criteria may work the opposite due to more problems such as returning a product, delivery time or failed expectation of the purchase. In-store retail provides well-known shopping methods, which are more time-consuming and allow to see and pick the item based on the actual quality or parameters. Nevertheless, online stores changed the social idea of shopping, leaving practical purchases to brick-and-mortar stores and presenting online platforms as entertainment.
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