All of us are familiar with shopping – one of the guilty pleasures that we all have. Few feelings compare to the hit of dopamine that we get from getting a new shirt, pair of shoes, that funny mug, or a new computer. Shopping is nothing new and has been around for a long time presumably thousands of years.
For a long time, the way we shopped stayed the same. If we wanted something, we would go to a market, pay for it, and bring it home ourselves. When the internet came around, this changed. Not too long after the internet started growing in popularity, the concept of e-commerce started to show up.
The idea of sitting at home, ordering what you want, paying online, and having it delivered to your home was something out of science fiction. Luckily for us, this is the reality of the world we live in and it has become one of the fastest-growing industries in the world.
Amazon, the online retail titan, is one of the largest organizations in the world. Its humble beginnings started with online shopping. Online shopping is powered by the internet, a tool without which the world would have been very different. This article will expound on the thought process behind online shopping, how it compares to brick-and-mortar retail and other factors that make it what it is.
Convenience and Accessibility
Online shopping offers many different benefits to us, chiefly convenience and accessibility. When we think of online shopping, we immediately relate it to the ease of process involved. From anywhere in the world, we can use our mobile phones or any device with an internet connection to make a purchase. We pay for it online and in a short amount of time it is delivered to where we want it to be. Customers can make a purchase at any hour of the day, allowing sales to happen at any time of the day. With powerful e-commerce tools working with extensive automation, sales can happen at any time, payments are processed at all times, all of this without the store owner actively working on it.
Moreover, online stores are now available in two main ways. One of them is using a platform like Shopify or WooCommerce that has a variety of plugins to make the entire process easy. The other is to use social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram to create an online presence. Once the presence is there, these social networks offer various tools to make selling a product easier.
Since all of this is so incredibly simple to get started and easier to access coupled with ads at all times, consumers can easily make a purchase. When you have Mediacom internet, you no longer need to worry about unreliable internet. Click here to head over to their website to start using their services!
Online Shopping vs. Brick and Mortar
In order to better understand this, it is important to compare online shopping with brick-and-mortar stores. While one has essentially replaced the other, both continue to coexist. Instead of formulating an opinion for you, we will list down the pros and cons for you to make the choice yourself.
Online Shopping – Pros
- Convenience
- Easy price comparisons
- Diverse selection
- Detailed information
Online Shopping – Cons
- Logistical delays
- No in-hand inspection until the product is delivered
- No personal interaction with humans
- Security risks like credit card fraud
Brick and mortar – Pros
- In-person experience
- Personal interactions
- A feeling of community
- Instant gratification
Brick and mortar – Cons
- Overhead costs
- Inconvenience for those with mobility issues
- Limited Variety
- Limited information
A quick glance at this list shows the differences between online shopping when compared with brick-and-mortar. For some, online shopping makes sense while for others, brick-and-mortar stores are better. Making a decision between the two is reliant on different factors that include convenience, variety, in-hand feel, quick delivery, and so on. There is no right or wrong choice, it all comes down to what a consumer wants or prefers.
The Role of Social Proof
Social proof is a phenomenon in psychology whereby we are more inclined to do something if we see other people doing it. When someone relies on the opinions and actions of other people when making decisions, they fall into the same category. Social proof has existed around us since the dawn of time, it has only been given a name in recent times. As social media has become more commonplace, we see the lives of people who are doing things we aren’t and we are instinctively drawn to that type of living.
Social proof also exists in online shopping in the form of testimonials and reviews. When we open a product page, we look at the pictures, price, and specifications and then scroll down to see the reviews. By reading what other people have to say about the product, our decision becomes simpler. If reviews are positive, we are more inclined to buy them.
Another example of social proof is when brands use social media influencers to market their products. When their audience sees their favorite influencer using a product, they will be tempted to do the same. In the digital age, social proof is incredibly powerful as it can make or break the decision of a prospective customer. Positive social proof results in conversions, sales, credibility, trust, and business growth. Negative social proof does the opposite of this, essentially taking the business down.
The Impact of Personalization
As a consumer, we want the shopping experience to offer as much value as possible. This is not limited to simply going into a store and making the purchase. Nowadays, AI and big data allow online sellers to create targeted content that is personalized for the user. Using personalization, online stores are able to positively impact customer loyalty and satisfaction. This is made possible by analyzing purchasing behavior and previous browsing data to create a relevant and customized shopping experience for the customer.
Not only does this make that customer feel special, it also prompts them to spread the word, and so on and so forth. For a business, showing customers what they like is the best way to guarantee a sale. When a business understands what a customer wants and the customer sees it, everyone wins. Modern marketing practices use this method to learn more about users to create more tailored marketing campaigns.
However, this has raised concerns surrounding privacy and data security among other reasons. In order to provide this experience, consumer data is used and taken with little transparency. While the browser may be doing it for the customer experience, who is to guarantee that sensitive information won’t land in the wrong hands? Moreover, this personalized shopping experience can create immense reliance on a said system that might not make regular shopping experiences feel the same.
Conclusion
Online shopping is one of the great pleasures of our time. Being able to order what we want from the comfort of a screen with nothing more than a smart device and an internet connection is an incredible example of how the internet has changed our lives. Moreover, thanks to innovations in this space, we have seen that there is a profound evolution in this space that makes this experience more personalized and efficient.
To start an online store or make an online purchase, you only need a smart device with an internet connection. With Mediacom, this entire process becomes incredibly convenient owing to its robust, reliable, and reputable internet services. Visit here to find out more and join the family today!
