New studies show that more people prefer to shop online rather than going to the store to shop. Personally, I have always preferred online shopping. It may be because I am lazy, but I think the main reason is because I hate when the store workers follow me around asking if I need help. If I need help I will ask you. You do not need to follow me. Am I the only one who prefers online shopping? I decided to research this topic more to see what other people prefer.

Similar to me, the results of an Ebates.com holiday survey in 2013 asking 1,000 U.S. adults if they preferred online shopping or visiting a store found that 84% of the people surveyed said shopping online is better than visiting a physical store. Why is that? There are many reasons why people prefer online shopping. According to Ebates.com the most popular reason, cited by 60% of the respondents, was that they prefer to not have to deal with the people in malls and on town Streets. 51% said they prefer not having to leave the house and 49% said that online shopping is more convenient and negates the need to drive. I guess you can say that online shopping helps the environment. The more people that online shop, the less people have to drive to the store, then the more gas is being saved. People are helping the environment and they do not even know it.

In contrast, some people still prefer to go to the store. An article in the Business News Daily talks about how many people use the Internet to browse the items they want and then they will go to the store to purchase that item. According to PwC’s consumer survey, 40% of consumers make purchases inside a physical store at least once a week while only 27% do the same online. The shoppers who prefer going to the store know that online shopping is easy. However, there are many different reasons as to why they still choose to go to the store. These include, allowing them to have the item immediately, avoiding the delivery fees, they get to try on the item and seeing it in person before buying it. Also, returns a lot simpler as well. 

I think these studies need to be refined to the type of purchase being made. Consumers probably are more apt to make an online purchase for a less personal item, like an appliance or electronics after doing their research. For more personal purchases like clothing, it is possible more buyers would prefer to purchase in the store after trying on and seeing how it looks.

Whether you choose to online shop or go to the store to shop, there are pros and cons for both decisions. A big pro for online shopping is you don’t have to commute, find parking, wait in long lines, and deal with big crowds. Those reasons alone are the reasons why I choose to mostly online shop. A couple of other pros include you can ship gifts directly to your friends in another state and shopping online offers you a variety of similar items. One con for online shopping is that people have to pay for shipping. Delivery fees can add up and it may come to the point to decide whether the $15 for shipping is worth it or just go to the store and purchase it? On the other hand, some pros to in-store shopping include you get to try the item on, it is much easier to return, and you don’t have to pay for delivery fees. Trying an item on can make the biggest difference. I always see items I like on the mannequin, but when I try it on it looks completely different. Clothes fit each person differently and it is almost necessary to try them on when purchasing. Lastly, cons of in-store shopping include you might not be able to make it to the store when they are open due to school or work, you may have to drive a far distance to get to the store you like, and if you don’t want to drive that far you are limited to the stores close to you.

After researching both opinions, I still think that online shopping is the way to go. The pros for online shopping out weigh the cons. The biggest con for online shopping was the delivery fee. However, if you can wait for the item to come in a couple days, you usually don’t have to pay that much extra. The sooner you want your item, the more you pay. So just buy the item in advance so you don’t have to pay that big fee. Now that you have read the pros and cons of each, which method do you prefer?