Sunday, February 13, 2011

Online shopping


What's online shopping??
Online shopping is the process of buying goods and services and from merchants who sell on the Internet. Since the emergence of the World Wide Web, merchants have sought to sell their products to people who surf the Internet. Shoppers can visit web stores from the comfort of their homes and shop as they sit in front of the computer. Consumers buy a variety of items from online stores. In fact, people can purchase just about anything from companies that provide their products online. Books, clothing, household appliances, toys, hardware, software, and health insurance are just some of the hundreds of products consumers can buy from an online store.

Advantages of online shopping.

  • More people than ever before in history are using the Web to shop for a wide variety of items, from houses to shoes to airplane tickets. 
  • Online shopping offers many advantages, including:
    •  Easy access to consumer reviews: It's easy to access consumer reviews for pretty much any product you can think of online, which makes for more informed purchases. 
    • No pressure sales: We've all been awkwardly propositioned by eager salespeople. You don't have to put up with that online.  
    • Incredible convenience: In comparison to a brick and mortar store with fixed hours, online shoppers can choose any time of the day or night to get on the Web and shop. This is especially useful for moms with small children, people that are home-bound, or simply in times of inclement weather. 

Disadvantages of online shopping.

  •  You can't try things on. If you're buying a clothing item, you don't have the ability to feel the material, try it on, and see how it's made. Unless you know your measurements and are familiar with the brand of clothing offered, this could end up being a bad experience. 
  • You can't talk to someone immediately. If you have a question about what you're looking at, you probably will have to wait at least 24 hours to get a question answered (however, many sites have "instant chat" enabled that take care of this issue).  
  • Privacy and security: Privacy and security are legitimate concerns for any online shopper, but there are precautions you can take to make sure your transaction is a safe one. For example, paying attention to HTTPS protocols, installing free spy ware removal tools, knowing how to identify online scams and hoaxes, surfing anonymously, and keeping your web usage private are all smart ways to address any privacy and security issues.   


 

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