Whether you’re a serial online shopper on a first-name basis with the courier driving staff, or a newcomer to the world of online shopping, there are a lot of advantages to enjoy, some more obvious than others. Convenience isn’t the only thing it has going for it, there are a few benefits online shopping provides has going for it!
Lower Carbon Footprint
Physical stores, and malls, need a lot of infrastructure and utility access to operate. Large buildings are often the biggest consumers of water and electricity, not necessarily residential areas. Online retailers seldom need to worry about those overheads since their physical space requirements are a lot lower and generally only involve warehousing space. So although it may seem surprising, online shopping actually benefits the environment in the long run.
You’re Unlikely to Shop as Compulsively
Malls and stores are designed in ways to encourage customers to spend as much as possible. Why do they put candy and snacks in an aisle leading up to the cash registers, even though there’s always an old lady standing there for 15 minutes picking out seven kinds of dried fruit rolls? Because by placing it there, people will see it, and since they’re relatively low-cost items, customers usually don’t think twice about grabbing a couple of things. If you’re shopping online, you usually know what you want and you’re more focused, so it’s less likely you’re going to add a bunch of incidental things to your cart and spend money unnecessarily.
Pricing is more Competitive
Because online retailers have fewer overheads compared to physical stores, which is often mostly due to rent, it’s possible for them to offer their products at better prices than physical stores can. Online sales and flash deals, specifically with the recent adoption of Black Friday in South Africa, means that consumers have access to better sales and specials than we did in the past, and the popularity of online shopping is a huge driver of those sales.
The Amount of Potential Customers is Huge
This is more relevant for retailers, companies, or individuals that want to sell their products or services. Adding an online sales channel expands any product’s potential customer-base significantly, since internet coverage and smartphone usage will only increase going forward. For sellers of niche products, or for start-ups that have a great innovation to offer, getting off the ground by selling either on an e-retailing marketplace or developing their own site creates a lot of opportunities for success. And on the flip side, we as consumers have an ever-increasing range of things to choose from.
Less Stress
Considering our fast-paced lives, it’s important to try and decrease stress wherever it’s possible – and lounging in your pyjamas while you put the family’s Christmas gifts in your cart is a lot easier than making frantic runs through the aisles. Shopping isn’t the only thing being made easier with electronic platforms, even other peripheral services like paying for accounts, or upgrading phone contracts, or signing up for services, can primarily be done digitally and means less travel and hassle to go through.
So the next time somebody tries to guilt-trip you for shopping online, just rattle off a few of these benefits, and they’ll probably change their tune pretty quickly!
And if you want to find the best deals on goods from a variety of SA’s biggest online stores, head over to PriceCheck.co.za!
