An increasing number of people are buying what they need online. What are the advantages and disadvantages for both individuals and companies to shopping online?

It is becoming increasingly popular to shop online, but
although
online shopping seems more convenient, there are disadvantages to replacing the traditional retail store. In
this
essay, I will address some of the pros and cons about buying over the Internet. One of the main advantages of purchasing online is the potential cost saving. Since online shops don’t need physical locations and many employees, labour costs are driven down,
thus
transferring these discounts to the final product price. Amazon is one of the largest companies in the world, that started out selling books ultimately converting into a multi-billionaire operation across the world.
Furthermore
, when buying online at Amazon, the consumer has access to a marketplace with multiple vendors.
For example
, they can review their purchasing experience, in
this
way Amazon gives customers the freedom of choice. In spite of
this
, local stores are the support of many families and online shopping can hardly replace human interaction. If a retail store closes down, many families cease to receive an essential income, even if the family is provided with a severance package.
Therefore
, retail stores need to overcome the risk of becoming obsolete, because people prefer to have everything easy rather than having to make an effort to get it. Take
for instance
, Circuit City, a large technology retailer that had to file bankruptcy in the midst of global takeover of online retailing. In conclusion, people are shopping online because of its practicality,
in addition
to
this
, many are finding cheaper prices in the Internet stores and fast-shipping inventory.
On the contrary
, there are a number of companies lagging behind and being unable to innovate in
this
modern era.
Submitted by rafa.lascano on

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Answer the 'Advantages and Disadvantages' topic

IELTS advantages and disadvantages questions normally give you a statement and ask you to comment on the advantages and disadvantages of that statement.

Answer structure for the type of essay

  • Introduction
  • Body paragraph 1 – advantages
  • Body paragraph 2 – disadvantages
  • Conclusion

Examples to start your body paragraph:

  • The main advantage is...
  • The disadvantage of this...
  • The main benefit...
  • Despite these advantages...
  • One possible drawback...

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