Online shopping is a rising trend in the US. Americans are quickly jumping on the bandwagon. The comfort of shopping from home, not having to drive through traffic to get to a shopping mall, more opportunities to compare products and prices to make the smartest decision… These are just some of the reasons why consumers prefer online shopping to traditional brick and mortar stores.
Does this mean the end of traditional shopping in physical stores? According to multiple sources, such as this article on Business.com this may very well be the case. Online shoppers enjoy many perks, and this makes it hard for them to go back to traditional shopping.
What are the main reasons why consumers are now going to the web for the majority of their purchases?
The number one reason why shoppers decide to go online is the ability to compare the price of a product on different websites.
Traditionally, comparing prices would take consumers a long time. They would have to drive from one store to another, in order to see where the product they were looking for was sold cheaper. This was a long process that not everyone was willing to go through.
On the other hand, online shopping has brought complete price transparency. Online shoppers just need a few minutes to browse through the web and see where they can find they product they are looking for cheaper. The ability to save money with very little effort is a huge advantage that e-shoppers enjoy.
Customer first
E-commerce websites are quickly realizing the importance of excellent customer service, and thus provide more customer service channels than traditional stores.
Successful e-commerce sites provide 24/7 customer service through multiple channels in a convenient way for the customer. As a result, online shoppers have their problems resolved with very little hassle, and end up having a better customer service experience than what they would have had in a physical store.
The social aspect of online shopping is something that customers also enjoy. In the era of social media, online shoppers are able to share purchases on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest with just one click. Being able to share a good purchase or bargain with their online friends gives customers a sense of satisfaction. Social sharing is also beneficial for the business, as it puts their brand in front of more consumers.
E-commerce sites also provide shoppers with detailed information about the products they offer. It is not unusual for product pages to display customer reviews with an average rating. Some reviews also include a piece of text written by a customer who purchased the same product, and shared their experience for other consumers to know. Having this information provides a sense of reassurance that the right decision is being made when purchasing the product. At DealDash, we ask our customers to rate and share their experience with the product, and then share consumer reviews on our product pages.
Here is an example of reviews collected in a DealDash product page:
E-commerce is more popular than ever. Shopping online provides multiple benefits for consumers. With just one click, you can also have access to all these benefits from the comfort of your own home.