Online shopping witnesses expenditure of £ 178 million per week during January 2009. This means 3.7 percent of the total retail sales through internet spending. During 2008, online retail sales experienced a stable and steep growth rate. This contributed 3.1 percent in January 2008 and rose to 3.5 percent in December 2008. This trend is expected to continue because more and more people show interest in this shopping arena.
Online shopping is very comfortable and attracting buyers with profitable offers. Almost every thing that can be purchased appears in various online stores. It is impossible to summarize the entire list but some examples are books, gadgets, accessories, clothing, food ingredients, films, music, shoes, health and fitness products, cosmetics, food and travel tickets, etc. Various kinds of products are added to the excitement of buying online. The best vacation package to the world’s largest destination is planned online in a short time. Even food joints receive shipping orders via the internet. Online shopping avoids a waste of time and unnecessary money.
Initial costs to start stores including land prices, stock fees, construction rates and many more hidden costs. In addition to this cost is the cost of running from the store. On the other hand, selling online products does not require such arrangements and very low initial costs. This allows attractive discounts on bids and make economical internet spending for buyers and is beneficial for sellers. This is a win-win situation at both ends. Cost reduction is forwarded to the buyer as a discount. This encourages clients to depend on e-shopping for all. Web stores offer discounts throughout the year and offers are very profitable during the peak season. Discounts vary from one shopping portal to another for the same product. Everyone tries to provide their products at the lowest price that is possible to attract customers. Therefore shopping sites reduce their profits by offering large discounts to increase volume. This is a call for the concept of shopping comparison. There are many sites that offer a comparison between the same product prices on different sites. This allows users to see all offers in one location and make the best purchases. Companies and shopping portals distribute discount codes to attract internet buyers to their site. The code number can be entered before leaving the shopping portal to use the discount. Online shopping becomes interactive and consumers share their views on various social shopping communities and blog sites. They provide their personal experience with products to help others make the right choice. Social shopping brings pleasure and excitement to the experience of shopping.
Some other aspects about internet shopping require careful attention. First is the free shipping advertised by the seller. This is not really free because shipping costs are included in the product fee. The dealer receives shipping costs depending on the distance. Therefore the product sent from the near location attracts low shipping costs and other additional costs. Online dealers provide a warranty for their products but the return is difficult because of long distances. This requires users to send back the product and pay some additional fees in many cases. Maintaining the privacy of information provided by the buyer is another important problem. There is no law that prevents this and the seller is free to get your information. This information leak produces more direct marketing, spam email, and telemarketer calls.
