1. Cyber Shopping
Cyber-shopping and the Consumer
Christmas holidays are synonymous with laughter, carols and family gatherings. Along with these
pleasurable holiday experiences, another more frustrating task must be confronted: the long and arduous
task of shopping for gifts for friends and loved ones. In recent years, the use of online Internet shopping has
helped to transform this chore and the drudgery of everyday shopping. No longer must shoppers trudge
store-to-store seeking the best bargain or finding that elusive item because the use of the Internet as a
shopping medium has empowered shoppers with advantages over traditional storefront shopping.
One of the primary advantages shoppers have discovered with Internet shopping is an increase in the time
available for shopping. Unlike traditional stores which have fixed shopping hours, online stores are open for
business twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week allowing shoppers to browse and purchase goods
online around the clock without ever havin
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The consumer no longer needs to buy solely from the local store or major chain but is able to access
information and buy directly from the manufacturer’s or wholesaler’s website. The increased number of
vendors the consumer has to choose from allows for a more competitive marketplace and a lower bottom
line price for the shopper. This increase in convenience and access has led many consumers to use the
Internet for day-to-day shopping needs. Along with extended shopping hours, the online shopper is able to
browse an immense range of online stores in search of the needed merchandise.
An additional benefit the online shopper receives over the traditional shopper is the ability to compare prices
between vendors without running from store to store.
Internet shoppers find that being able to shop at any hour is only one of many conveniences that online
shopping offices. Rather than being limited to the stores found in the local community, the Internet shopper
can browse stores from all areas of the country and world. In addition to greater flexibility in comparing
prices, consumers find that the online merchant can offer cheaper prices because of decreased overhead
and employee expense. These online stores can not only be accessed anytime a shopper has a free
moment; but also provide the shopper with the benefits of avoiding traditional shopping hassles like crowded
stores, long checkout lines, and congested parking lots.
The increasingly hectic pace of our society leaves its members with less and less time for the daily activities
of life. With the increased number of stores able to be accessed, the quantity and quality of merchandise
available to the shopper has increased exponentially. The shopper can peruse merchandise in major chain
stores, local specialty shops, as well as second hand services such as E-bay in the search for needed items.
This forces the traditional merchant to increase prices to sustain an adequate profit margin. The traditional
merchant faces large overhead costs in maintaining a physical store to display items and employees to
stock, maintain and sell the items to the public.