With nearly 3 billion people using the Internet, e-commerce has become a thriving business with stores and retailers worldwide. In the 2013, the amount of revenue generated by online shopping was close to 12 trillion dollars, and nearly 40% of the world’s population has purchased something using an electronic device. But what about the remaining 60% of the population who don’t shop online? They still rely solely on physical stores rather than the Internet. Although larger retailers have online stores as well as physical locations, some smaller shops do not. How does this impact the physical stores?
Well, the answer is simple. The vast selection and availability of products online can’t possibly compete with stores at all. If you had to buy something and had the choice to do so from the comfort of your own home rather than taking the time to travel to a store just to spend even more time searching for the specific product you are looking for, which would you choose? Most people that I know would choose online, because it’s convenient. But there are also some risks to online shopping that aren’t present in physical stores. When shopping online you can’t closely examine the product you are buying before it is shipped to you. For example, if I were to order an item of clothing online and have it shipped to me, I may not like the material that it’s made of, and would have to send it back. However, when shopping regularly, we are able to fully examine products before purchasing, preventing an event like that from happening.
So, will online stores take over business from physical locations? In my opinion, no. Although faster and more convenient, I still prefer to go into a store and make sure that I like the product before I purchase it.
Nathan World is a grade 10 student at PCSS.