As coronavirus restrictions continue to lift and the holiday season begins, gift shopping is on the rise.
While many people are going to contemplate either shopping for holiday gifts in person or online, remote shopping is much better and more convenient than in-store shopping.
One thing I love about online shopping is that I can shop anywhere, even in the comfort of my own home.
As long as someone has a device that can connect to the internet, they can buy things at any time.
The best part of online shopping is I don’t have to deal with the frenzied holiday shoppers.
Even before the pandemic, shopping in-store during Black Friday was a horrific experience. There was hardly room to avoid physical contact, especially in a line, and the endless sea of people turned cramped stores into body heat-fueled ovens.
Online shopping also saves time and is very accessible to people, including myself, who can’t drive.
More than 88% of U.S. households drive an average of four miles to their preferred grocery store, according to a January 2016 EPA article.
Four miles is a short drive but people living in rural areas may have difficulty accessing a shopping mall.
On average, someone who lives in a rural area has to drive 10 miles to gain access to essential locations including hospitals, let alone a shopping mall, according to an Oct. 12, 2018 Pew Research Center article.
Though online shopping is very convenient, quick delivery times can have a negative environmental effect.
Josué Velázquez Martínez, director of the Sustainable Logistics Initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), set up the “Green Button Project,” which aims to solve environmental concerns caused by online shopping and shipping, according to a June 11, 2019 MIT Sustainable Logistics Initiative article.
Coppel, a nationwide department store in Mexico, participated in the Green Button Project believing shoppers would sacrifice environmental wellbeing for quicker delivery times.
Instead, Velázquez found that 71% of shoppers agreed to a slower shipping time across all demographics, not just those concerned about the environment, according to an April 22 Wirecutter article.
Wirecutter is a consumer-oriented review website that was bought by the New York Times in 2016, according to its webpage.
Many assume that fast delivery times are the appeal for customers to shop online at many stores and companies but if given the option, Velázquez found customers would prefer to wait for their items to arrive.
Online shopping isn’t inherently bad for the environment but more online retailers should inform customers about the benefits of longer delivery times and maybe even provide incentives, such as giving a small discount code or store credit.
Customers shopping in-store also fail to realize that online shopping provides access to much more information about a specific item and its related products .
To give a specific example, there’s an ample amount of gaming mice available for purchase.
If customers want to find out which gaming mice are receiving good reviews, they can easily read any customer reviews from major retail websites including Amazon.
If the same shopper wants to dig up more information on a specific gaming mouse that could be suitable for their needs, they can find reviews from enthusiasts on YouTube channels including Hardware Canucks and Rocket Jump Ninja.
Hardware Canucks is a Canadian YouTube channel that provides information and in-depth reviews on technology, ranging from computer hardware to gaming peripherals, including wireless headphones and mechanical keyboards. Rocket Jump Ninja is an Australian YouTube channel that primarily reviews gaming mice.
While an item can be immediately used after being purchased in-store, retail facilities can only hold a specific number of items in a set amount of space, meaning options are limited.
Similar to the amount of information given about a specific item, online shopping has just as many, if not more, options for anyone to buy an item not sold in physical stores.
While many people will continue shopping in stores, the conveniences that online shopping provides should be embraced.
