Benefit of An increase in technology
Introduction.
An increase in technology has brought about the introduction of different innovations that have further made life more comfortable in the current society; by helping out in activities that were compulsory in the past but are now done in the comfort of our homes. Through the use of the internet, online shopping has become part of the current society, and in one way or the other, we now all depend upon it whenever we do not want to make long queues in the shopping malls. Businesses as well have switched to online markets as an effective way of reaching more customers and maintaining a loyal customer base. Gökcek asserts that “the concept of customer satisfaction is one of the most important concepts of companies and even more important is shopping on the internet as much as it is in traditional sales channels because it is the pioneer in creating loyal customers.” (119). Therefore, it is pervasive for more businesses nowadays to have a more significant online advertisement to reach millions of purchasing goods through the internet.
Online shopping is even more efficient when finding items as we can do that comfortably on our phones or personal computers. With adequate delivery periods and efficient customer service, most people have turned away from physical shopping and have become entirely dependent on online shopping. There has been an overall in online customers over the years, and the trend is not stopping soon. As explained by Jiang et al., “the parcel volume of online shopping of 3.67 billion in 2011 increased to 40.06 billion in 2017, with an average growth rate of more than 48% within six years” (1). Thus, with such growing numbers, it is essential to understand the type of client base that uses online shopping the most and, more importantly, the kind of behavior attributed to online shopping.
Methods
Before starting my research, I hypothesized that more female middle-class people prefer online shopping. This could be because they take most of their time at work and are too tired to go to the shops after work. Thus, they prefer to go rest while shopping online as they have a more extensive range of products to choose from the comfort of their homes. The study was conducted via questionnaires; the respondents were provided with adequate information on why the research was being carried out plus sufficient reasons on how their identities could be protected. The research questions were few to enable responders to take as little time as possible while answering.
Additionally, the research took place during the day time in a public park on the weekend where most people would be available from their weekday jobs. Out of the 30 people who responded, 12 were men and 18 were women. The ethnic divide was also factored, and I had 10 African Americans, 15 Caucasians, and five responders that were a blend of several minority groups, including Hispanics, Asians, and others. I felt that the ethnic numbers were representative of the broader population. Finally, out of the 30 responders, four were unemployed, 16 were middle-class earners while 10 had very little income.
Results
The study answered the hypothesis positively; it found out that more women prefer online shopping than men. The effect was explained with women having a 65% population that chose online shopping while only 30% of men selected online shopping as a preferred method of getting supplies. Additionally, with 10 of the 16 middle-class earners being women, it was clear that more middle-class women prefer online shopping that store shopping. Through the research, I found out that more women are employed as well as earning a middle-class income compared to men.
Table 1: Comparison of Men and Women on whether they prefer shopping in-store or online
Men
Women
Method of shopping
Respondents: 15
Respondents: 15
In store
70%
35%
Online
30%
65%
Conclusion
This research has been significant in showing the different behaviors in shopping, including the rate of returning purchased goods as well as the interval of shopping online. Women were found to be more likely to return goods as well as to have more significant intervals of shopping online. Also, younger men below 25 years old were more likely to buy online than those who were much older. Finally, most of the respondents chose the standard shipping method regardless of their income levels.
The functionalistic perspective best explains the functioning of the results in the research. In one way or the other, society functions by the continuous interdependence of people in various demographics. Online shopping has come to be weaved into our daily lives regardless of gender, age, and economic class. Additionally, the theory best explains how different members of society work through organic solidarity and, more so, utilize the online shopping innovation to make their lives easier and to promote the general economy.