The Impacts of Online Shopping

If you were to ask someone ten years ago if they thought online shopping would become more popular than in store shopping, they would most likely think you were crazy for even asking something like that. Online shopping has become popular over the last few years. People are starting to find it easier because they don't have to physically search in a store for something. Although online shopping is becoming popular, physical stores are doing everything that they can to save their businesses. Overall, online shopping is killing the in store businesses through its effective ways of marketing.

People sometimes have a hard time finding time to shop. Online shopping has changed all of that. No one has to leave their house, or even get out of bed, to online shop. This makes shopping for groceries, clothes, and anything else you need easy, and at the tips of your fingers. According to Eli Greenblat, people are busy, especially during the holidays. With online shopping now easily accessible, people are started to shop at work. They spend time on their computers, looking for gifts. (Greenblat) People are starting to prioritize their shopping over their work. If they are shopping rather than working, less is getting done. Jeffrey Jones claimed, “65% of US adults say they are likely to shop only for Christmas gifts online this year, up 12% from four years ago. ” (Jones) If this is the path that Americans are taking, physical stores are on a fast decline. Physical stores will most likely not be offered everywhere. They will have to close down, so they can beef up their online websites and compete with their big competitors.

With online shopping becoming so easy, people have been spending more money than usual. “Americans have spent 19. 62 billion dollars shopping online over the last five days compared to last years 2. 6 billion. ” (Corkery and Hsu) Online shopping is becoming a huge craze and doesn't seem like it is going to stop anytime in the near future. According to Max Cherney, people have started to shop for Christmas gifts earlier in the season because of online shopping. The ease of it turns people towards it and helps them pick out the items they want, quicker. “Mobile commerce sparked Cyber Monday as it did Black Friday, and the start of the holiday season in which online sales are out performing last years. ” (Cherney) People are turning towards it, because they feel it is faster. Not only are they using it for clothes, people are now starting to buy food online. With today's technology, they can get all of their groceries in as little as fifteen minutes. They also can be saving money for themselves. It is easier to get coupons online, so by using those, the consumer is saving more money than they would if they were in the physical store. (Dorgan) For consumers, it is hard to see a downside for online shopping. They are saving money for themselves, and they are saving their time, especially since online, people are able to shop 24 hours a day.
Physical stores are doing everything in their power to shift online shopping back to shopping in stores. According to Trent Rustan, stores see Amazon as a threat, and are trying everything that they can to compete with them. Stores are starting to include in store pickup and free shipping in hopes of taking back some of their business. Walmart in particular is starting to go mobile. They have made it to where you can buy all of your stuff online, and then just pick it up in the store, so you can be in and out. Some malls are allowing access to free wifi so getting coupons online through smartphones in stores is easier than ever. (Rustan)

People are finding that although shopping online for certain things can be risky, it is worth it. They can go in and get what they want without even getting out of bed. Physical stores are realizing this and doing everything they can to prevent themselves from going out of business. Retailers have realized that online shopping can be a better way to make money. Rod Sides, Vice Chairman of Deloitte LLP says, “Consumers who shop online and pick up their purchases in the store spend 75% more than those who buy online in the stores” (Much)

According to Jack Neff, “Amazon prime has free shipping in 2 days or less, with no minimum order size and free Amazon Prime Instant Video and Music. Walmart is offering unlimited free shipping in 3 days or less, also no minimum order size, but they have no streaming video or music. ” (Neff) Walmart, and other big corporations, are trying to do everything in their power to get their business back. They feel threatened by the power of Amazon and want to stop it. Although they are trying, Amazon is most likely too powerful to run out of business. They offer a better deal than Walmart, and Walmart has a long way to go before they can catch up the the deals that Amazon has.
There is a downfall to online shopping though. To most people, it is a necessity because they have gotten used to the ease of it, but to some, they are unable to jump into the future of technology. According to Jeffrey Jones, Americans who make a lower income are less likely to shop online because they usually spend their money using cash, instead of a card. (Jones) If there are people out there that will always use cash, in store shopping will always occur. It has been important in our society for many years, and it will stay that way as long as people use cash as a way of spending. Marilyn Much claimed that, people cannot let the social aspect of going into stores completely go.

People have lived forever by using social interaction as a key, and are not able to give it up. If shopping went totally online, people would not be able to interact like they do. They would be alone online, instead of in stores taking in the people around them, and having conversations with they friends and acquaintances. (Much) According to the retail federation, “58 million consumers shopped online only, while 51 million shopped only in stores. Roughly 64 million shopped in both online and in stores. ”(Corkery) Although online shopping is becoming more popular, this study shows that people are unwilling to give up in store experiences. The numbers will probably change over the course of the years, making the online number bigger and the in store number smaller, but as of right now, they are still many people that rely on physical stores.

Overall, online stores are becoming the more popular options for people. It is easier and can be accessed quicker. Many people like it over the unknown of going to a store because you never will know going into a store if they will have what you want.

Although it is becoming the more popular option, corporations are trying to cam at it. Many big corporations know what they are up against in the online world. They know that they have to make their online presence attractive, so consumers don't leave them for online stores like Amazon or eBay. They will probably always keep their physical stores though because people are always going to shop in physical stores, so even though there would be less of them in the future, we will always have a need for them. Online shopping, whether good or bad, has changed our world in very drastic ways.