Information technology has changed everything, from how we connect with friends and family to how we track the weather. One area that has been particularly revolutionized by information technology has been shopping.
Online shopping today is like a high-speed version of catalog shopping from years gone by. Just like then, we can view items from home, choose what we want, and send the order with payment, receiving our items right at the front door. Only now, instead of taking weeks to go through, the order can be underway in seconds.
Of course, speed isn’t the only advantage of e-commerce. There are many other ways that this fast, efficient system helps you as a consumer.
Greater Variety
Because e-commerce doesn’t require a particular selection of items for a given geographic area, you can buy any of a company’s offerings from any location.
For example, if you want to choose your new glasses at your local optometrist’s office, you can only view the frames they have in stock. They might be able to order some, but if you buy glasses online, the complete inventory of the retailer is right at your fingertips.
This is a great benefit to those of us who don’t live near major cities, or who might have relocated from a different place and want easy access to the items they used to buy at home. It’s also handy if you just want more selection to get a fresh look for holiday decor or clothing.
Less Expense
Speaking of where we live, driving is a big part of the expense of shopping in person. You spend more gas than you realize when you stop in at a big-box store or a mall, and you’re typically looking at a meal of some kind if you’re on much of a shopping trip at all. Of course, that effect is amplified for people who live in more remote areas.
When you shop online, you don’t use a drop of gas, and your time consumption is reduced greatly as well. Throw in the easier use of coupons and a broader range of options for comparison shopping and you’ve got a lot of different ways to save money on almost anything that you buy. On top of all that, return trips for forgotten items are a thing of the past; just log-in again and order whatever you omitted the first time.
Environmental Benefits
Speaking of driving less, e-commerce is also good for the environment. With fewer cars packing the roads on the way to shopping centers and other stores, there is less pollution and traffic with e-commerce.
But the environmental benefits don’t end there. Items that are sold online are sent from distribution centers that use less energy than regular stores because they use less climate control and aren’t as brightly lit. Shelves are much taller, allowing better utilization of overhead space as compared to a retail store. After all, warehouse personnel can use a forklift!
The items you buy are also friendlier, requiring less ink and packaging because they don’t have to be presented for in-store examination by customers. Ordinary, monochrome cardboard boxes or envelopes are just fine.
When the internet began to develop, no one really realized the magnitude of its potential. The focus was on exchange of information and the ability to travel virtually from place to place. But there is no question that as e-commerce has grown through online shopping and other platforms, it has changed completely how many consumers buy even the most routine items, along with the eCommerce returns solutions adding more convenience.
It remains to be seen just how much more impact there will be from online shopping, but there’s no doubt that the innovation will continue.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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