As online shopping continues to increase, we’re forced to wonder what is so good about shopping online. Surely nothing beats actually going to a store, handling our goods, and driving home with them in the car right?

Here are some of the advantages of shopping online:

Cheaper Prices

Most online stores will offer prices which are cheaper than what you will find at the actual store. This is also because browsing online gives you the opportunity to quickly compare prices from many different sites and vendors.

More Choice

Shelf space is limited in a physical store, which means that the variety of goods you can choose from is also limited. How many times have you gone to a store, only to realise that the item you want is out of stock? However when shopping online you’re often choosing directly from the warehouse, which gives you many more options.

Convenience

Let’s face it, one of the biggest reasons we shop online is for the convenience. The internet is always open, and you can easily shop while curled up on the couch drinking a glass of wine, or at 3am while returning from putting one of the kids back in bed.

With the increase in smartphones and apps, it’s even possible to shop while standing in line at the bank or grocery store.

Avoiding Crowds

In the lead up to Christmas and other holidays, the crowds at stores can simply be out of control, quickly leading to feelings of claustrophobia, and leaving you grumpy and irritated. Crowds also make it harder to find parking, and mean you need to spend precious time stuck in line when you may only have a few items.

Less Traps

Some people may find that when they go shopping they constantly end up walking out of the store with more than they need. This is due to sales tactics which lead to us spending more than we need to, often buying unnecessary items.

Sending Gifts

Shopping online makes sending gifts easy, no matter where they live. Instead you can simply have the items delivered directly to their houses, so there’s no excuse for missing Mother’s Day, Birthdays, or Christmas.

No Pressure

Sometimes we may feel pressured when we’re shopping in a physical store, even if this is unintentional. Shopping at home means you have plenty of time to deliberate or return to the website another time, without feeling like you need to make the purchase then and there.

Easy to search for specific things

If you have an item in  mind, you’ll find that it’s easy to search specifically for model numbers, size, styles, and colours. This is also excellent if you’ve already seen something like a new bed in store, and have gone home to think about it, since you’ll have everything you need to quickly find the item, purchase it, and get it delivered.

Fast Delivery

Fortunately, most companies realise that consumers value speed, and we want our new items as soon as possible. This means we often receive our purchases the next day or at most, a few days later.