Online Shopping vs Traditional Shopping
Daily, customers interact with retailers when purchasing goods and services that best suit them. Consumers can either decide to shop online or physically appear in markets. According to Darrell1, online and traditional shopping have different experiences. Therefore, a consumer with the potential intent to purchase a product should understand the variations between online shopping and conventional shopping. Although online and traditional shopping shares some common characteristics, they differ in three unique ways.
Traditional and online shopping are similar in various ways. To begin with, both online and conventional shopping involves interaction between customers and retailers. Retailers present to customers. On the other hand, customers browse the available items from retailers and purchase a suitable selection from them. Secondly, items purchased by consumers either traditionally or electronically can be turned to the retailers. Other than foodstuffs and other consumables, retailers provide warranties on things such as furniture and electronics if they are faulty or do not meet the prescribed standards.3 However, the return process follows an agreed procedure between the customer and the retailer. Also, both traditional and online shopping have promotions like discounts and bonuses that attract more customers. When two or more retailers have similar commodities, they may introduce developments to motivate more customers to purchase their products. Besides, when retailers want to add new merchandise in the market, promotions are attached to the items for easy penetration.
Despite having standard features, online and traditional shopping differ in three unique ways. Firstly, online shopping has more variety of products and designs compared to conventional shopping. Islam and Hossain2 observed that shopping websites incorporate both local and global retailers who present more variety of products and new designs to attract more customers. Consumers browse widely on the available items and choose according to their taste and preferences. On the other hand, traditional shopping consists of few products, and the choice of subjects is fixed on a limited variety. Secondly, there are more offers and discounts on online shopping compared to traditional shopping. Online retailers provide more offers and cuts due to high competition, and hence customers can choose commodities whose price is lower. However, consumers in traditional shopping may not have the diverse ability to compare prices. Lastly, online shopping can be done anytime, whereas many conventional shops operate within a fixed schedule.2 Customers can order goods and services anytime on online shopping websites. In the case of traditional shopping, the availability of products depends on the shopping time.
In conclusion, online shopping differs from conventional shopping in terms of a variety of products, price comparison, and effectiveness of time. Shopping online allows the customer to choose the best commodity from a wide range of similar products from different retailers. Also, the consumer enjoys more shopping offers, bonuses, and discounts when shopping online. An online customer can effectively access goods and services anytime, anywhere, and make orders at the comfort of his/her home. However, it is essential to note that different consumers have varying perceptions of online shopping. The choice of an online shopping website should, therefore, be based on convenience and customer exposure to e-shopping.
References
Darrell K Rugby. The Future of Shopping. [Internet] Harvard Business Review. 2011[Cited 2020 Apr 8] Available at:
https://hbr.org/2011/12/the-future-of-shopping
Islam MK, Hossain MF. Online vs. Traditional Shopping in Bangladesh. Available at:
http://dspace.daffodilvarsity.edu.bd:8080/handle/20.500.11948/785
James Stock, Thomas Speh, Herbert Shear. Managing Products Returns for Competitive Advantage.[Internet] 2006 [Cited 2020 Apr 8] Available at: https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/managing-product-returns-for-competitive-advantage/
Shanthi R, Desti K. Consumers’ perception of online shopping. Journal of Marketing and Consumer Research. 2015 Jul 31;13:14-21.