Digital Technologies and Online Shopping

1 English Major Essay The rise in the use of digital technologies in the global commercial space has led to an increase in online shopping. In simple terms, online shopping refers to the phenomenon where a consumer relies on the internet to purchase goods and services from businesses with an online presence. The extent to which online shopping has been embraced worldwide shows that it has significant advantages. However, as the sections below will reveal, online shopping also has certain disadvantages that are important to consider.

The main reason online shopping has become popular in the global marketplace is because of the convenience it avails shoppers. As authors such as Kim Yeolib and Robert Peterson acknowledge, people who opt for online shopping often find that they have limited financial capacities.

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2 For this reason, they rely on online goods and services as these tend to be cheaper compared to those that are generally found in physical stores. Here, it is worth mentioning that the goods and services in physical stores tend to be more expensive because the business owners transfer the costs of rent to the consumers. In addition to the relative affordability of online goods, consumers who have intense work and study obligations often find that it is more convenient to purchase what they need online instead of setting aside time to visit physical stores. Online shopping is also beneficial for those who may not have the physical capacity to visit stores due to physical incapacities.

It is worth noting that the demand for online shopping from consumers has also increased because many businesses have begun to incorporate online shopping into their business infrastructure. Several reasons explain the movement by businesses towards online shopping. Firstly, due to the proliferation of the internet and improved transportation technologies, businesses have found that they now have broader markets. In the current environment, there has been a globalization of markets to encompass even those that may be on other continents. A business, therefore, does not have to be limited geographically if it puts in place the appropriate infrastructure that will tend to the needs of consumers found in other markets (Rungsrisawat, Thanaporn and Kittisak 220). Secondly, crises such as the coronavirus pandemic have also increased the traffic to online shopping. Mobility restrictions introduced by the pandemic have meant that the businesses with an online presence were more likely to continue having customers.

A review of the existing literature on online shopping reveals that there are several advantages of online shopping. As mentioned earlier, the main advantage of online shopping is the convenience that it gives consumers. Online shoppers choose this method because it allows them to shop from the comfort of their homes. In this way, the need to find modes of transportation to the physical shops is eliminated. Additionally, online stores usually have

3 little or no shipping charges, thus making online shopping more attractive. Online shopping also has the added benefit of always being open. This means that one can conduct their shopping at any time of the day. A consumer is not limited by opening and closing hours (Rungsrisawat, Thanaporn, and Kittisak 210).

During crises such as the coronavirus pandemic, online shopping become advantageous because it reduces the number of people with whom one has to interact. In online shopping, there is also no need to stand in line for prolonged periods in order to purchase the products that one needs. The other important advantage of online shopping is that one is able to explore a variety of options for the products they need. When shopping in a physical store, it may not be possible to see all the options in so far as a particular product is concerned. On the other hand, online shopping allows a person to see many products, make comparisons, and decide on the product that suits them best (Chaparro-Peláez, Ángel, and Félix 1278). In addition to this, online shopping allows a shopper to read reviews about the goods and services of interest. From reading available shoppers’ reviews, one can determine whether or not they will benefit from purchasing the product in question.

In the current market, online shopping has the added benefit of providing credit to shoppers. In physical stores, one typically has to have the required amount of money to purchase a product. However, in certain online shopping platforms, a shopper is able to enter into an arrangement that allows them to pay for the goods and services in installments. Not only does this arrangement avail goods to those who face financial instability, but it also allows shoppers to meet current demands while saving for future obligations (ChaparroPeláez, Ángel, and Félix 1278).

Despite the advantages of online shopping, this method of shopping also has certain disadvantages. First, there are cases where the description of the product in question is not clear. This lack of sufficient description leads to a situation where the product that a

4 consumer receives does not match its description. In this case, not having the chance to inspect a product increases the risk that the consumer will not get the product that they initially wanted (Chaparro-Peláez, Ángel, and Félix 1281). It is worth noting that when there is a misdescription of a product, the online shopper will face additional costs in returning and exchanging the goods. Furthermore, in certain cases, online businesses state that they do not accept the return or exchange of goods. In this case, then, it will always be risky for an online shopper to make online purchases.

The second disadvantage of online shopping is when the delivery or logistics company is too slow in making the deliveries. In some cases, online shoppers may not be concerned with the speed of delivery (Allen 480). However, in other cases, one would like to put a particular item into immediate use. Therefore, delays in delivery may mean that an online shopper has their plans interrupted. On the other hand, if they had visited a physical store, then they would have acquired the products in question immediately. Online shopping also has the risk of opening up consumers to cybercrime. When making online payments, the bank accounts may be compromised, therefore limiting the extent to which online shopping can be said always to be secure. In order to protect themselves from the risk of cyber-crime, online shoppers may opt to conduct their shopping from physical stores.

Ultimately, then, it is notable that even though online shopping has evident advantages, there is a necessity for businesses to take note of the weaknesses that come with it. In the current technologically-driven world, more consumers are discovering the benefits of online shopping. Even so, as the mass embrace of online shopping happens, there is a need to ensure that the system works as perfectly as possible. It will be crucial to ensure that issues regarding logistics and the security of payment systems are addressed sufficiently.

5 Works Cited Allen, Julian, et al. "The role of urban consolidation centres in sustainable freight transport." Transport Reviews 32.4 (2012): 473-490.

Chaparro-Peláez, Julián, Ángel F. Agudo-Peregrina, and Félix J. Pascual-Miguel. "Conjoint analysis of drivers and inhibitors of e-commerce adoption." Journal of Business Research 69.4 (2016): 1277-1282.

Kim, Yeolib, and Robert A. Peterson. "A Meta-analysis of Online Trust Relationships in Ecommerce." Journal of Interactive Marketing 38 (2017): 44-54.

Li, Chia-Ying, and Yi-Cheng Ku. "The power of a thumbs-up: Will e-commerce switch to social commerce?." Information & Management 55.3 (2018): 340-357.

Rungsrisawat, Somdech, Thanaporn Sriyakul, and Kittisak Jermsittiparsert. "The Era of ecommerce & online marketing: Risks associated with online shopping." International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change 8.8 (2019): 201-221.