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 If
you have never shopped online before, or if you have only dabbled,
you're probably wondering what all the hype is about. You figure
that except for those folks who live hundreds of miles from
the nearest store, shopping online is a convenience, not a
necessity. A couple years ago, that might have been true.
But, today, with gas prices over $3.00 gallon, it has become a
necessity.
So how
convenient could it be? What could be easier than hopping in your
car and driving to the mall ... and fighting for a parking space,
and walking from store to store and aisle to aisle looking for the
items you want, and waiting in the check-out line, and carrying
those bags out to the car through a drenching rain storm, and
driving home through the traffic as the rain turns to ice beneath
your wheels, and stopping at the gas station to spend more than you
just did on your purchases?
You have choices and will continue to
have them. At least in your lifetime, Congress is not likely to
outlaw physical stores.
In many instances, shopping over the
Internet is a quick and easy alternative. Sometimes it enables you
to do things that otherwise would be impossible for you, or can save
you trouble and money -- lots of it. When that isn't the case, just
shop the way you always have.
You should shop on the Internet when:
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You know exactly what you want,
and you want to get it over with -- with a minimum of hassle and
time. You don't want to spend an hour or more driving to a
physical store and going through the usual routine there; and, if
the item is out of stock at the first store you go to, you don't
want to have to trek to another and another, or wait weeks for
delivery.
-
You know what kind of thing you
want to buy, but not specifically which one -- which book or CD or
video. Also, you don't want to waste your money buying something
you won't like and waste your time figuring out that you made a
mistake.
-
You know what you want to buy, but
it's rare -- very few stores would ever carry such a thing.
-
You need to buy something that is
very expensive (a car or a house). You have to comparison shop
because you aren't fabulously wealthy. But you'd like to do it as
quickly and effectively as possible.
-
You're curious. You don't have
time to indulge your curiosity in the physical world where it
takes so long and costs so much to go from one place to another.
On the Internet you can go from one side of the world to another
with just a click of your mouse.
-
You want to buy something, but
don't want to be seen buying it. Perhaps it's a gift that you want
to keep secret before you give it, and being seen going into the
store by family or friends would blow the surprise. Or perhaps
it's something you'd be embarrassed to buy in person -- cosmetics
you don't want people to know that you use, or sex-related
products.
-
You are a bargain hunter by
nature. You get a charge out of buying things at lower prices than
your friends and neighbors. Saving money is nice, but not nearly
as good as flexing your smart-buyer muscles.
-
You can't get to the store for any
reason, such as illness or taking care of a sick kid or age or bad
weather or lack of transportation or lack of time or alien
abduction. (Reportedly, most UFOs have Internet connections).
-
You want to spend less for gas and
more on your purchases.
Consumers continue to migrate their
shopping to the Internet. The latest American ShopperScape
survey of consumers by consultants Retail Forward Inc.
reports that even this late in the development of online retailing,
and after years of rapid adoption, growth continues in the
proportion of consumers who shop. In addition, the Web and stores
are starting to play distinct roles in consumers’ shopping habits,
with consumers showing a decided preference for stores to buy
low-cost replenishment items and the Internet for “thrill of the
hunt” items. And, to save on gasoline!
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