An increasing number of people are buying what they need online. What are the advantages and disadvantages.

Advancements in digital technology have changed the nature of shopping. A growing number of people prefer to buy the products which they need. While online shopping is both time-saving and cost-effective, it has some disadvantages, including information theft as well as a virtual practice. On the one hand, there are some advantages in associated with shopping online.

Firstly

, people do not have to spend their valuable time and energy on an online store, which provide shoppers with a feature of quick search in a particular keyword,

in contrast

to a physical store.

For example

, an average shopper spends 2 hours these days by roaming in a huge shopping mall, whereas an online shopper is able to complete the shopping task by typing a few keywords in the search area.

Secondly

, it is known that online stores offer huge discounts for the online shoppers, especially on special days

such

as Mother’s Day, New Year Eve, and Valentine’s Day.

Thus

, it is clear that online shopping has indisputable advantages.

On the other hand

, despite the advantages of shopping online, there are

also

a number of disadvantages. Online shoppers have become the most attracting target of cyber hackers, which can steal the personal information (credit card, bank account, identity) of people who go shopping online. These criminals,

for instance

, stole nearly 500 million dollars between 2017 and 2018, according to the official statistics.

In addition

, online shopping occurs in a virtual world.

As a result

, people, who go shopping in

this

world, are not able either to touch or try products which they plan to buy and the majority of online stores do not guarantee the product change service.

Therefore

, it goes without saying that cyber threats and the virtual nature of

this

online practice are disadvantageous for consumers. In conclusion, online shopping has become a new method of shopping.

Although

it offers some advantages, including saving time and huge discounts, the online shopping has

also

drawbacks

such

as online hacking and the lack of interaction with products, which result from its virtual nature.