Online shopping is not just here to stay, it’s poised to one day be the most common form of retail.
To be sure, some streamlining in the delivery process is still needed. But the way we are now seeing brick and mortar retailers work hand-in-glove with their online stores is proof positive that online shopping has truly become mainstream. Most of the big box retail stores now let you shop and order products online and then pick them up at the store’s physical location in your community.
But thanks to the commercial delivery services like Federal Express and United Parcel Service and even priority mail from the U.S. Postal Service, pure online retailers are able to deliver products and gifts right to your doorstep, often the very next morning. While there are costs for delivery with online stores, the fact that online retailers have no lights and big store utilities to pay, no large staff of salespeople and clerks, no outlay in cash registers and maintainance means they can pass the savings along to consumers.
Thus, the lower overhead usually translates to lower product or item costs, usually helping to considerably offset whatever delivery charges are involved. But when you factor in the time savings to the consumer in buying online and not having to drive (and pay for gas) across town, find a parking spot and stand in line to buy the item at a brick and mortar store, you can readily see why so many consumers have made the chose to buy online.
Besides, online shopping is a lot of fun. With no physical space limitations, inventory and selection is much better with online retailers. You can find odd styles and sizes that physical stores just don’t bother to stock. Half the fun of online shopping is just clicking from page to page, item to item, and seeing the huge selections available.
And with comparision shopping sites abounding on the Internet, it’s just a matter of entering the name of the item you’re looking for and then clicking your mouse to get back a list that shows the cheapest price and availability status of your item from a variety of online stores.
Security is also a snap. In fact, its actually safer to by online than from, say, a restaurant or clothing store. Think about it: You don’t know what that clerk has done with your card when they walk away to figure out your bill. Online sales are safe and secure thanks to the advanced security most credit card companies insist upon in authorizing e-tailers to accept their credit cards to pay for merchandise. Even the Better Business Bureau is involved, certifying online shopping sites and allowing them to depict a BBB banner.
For all these reasons and more, online shopping isn’t just a wave of the future anymore. It IS the future!
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