How is the Internet changing shopping behavior?
Well, first of all, today’s consumers no longer have to leave their homes to buy what they want, or be involved in traffic and queues.
Shopping has become easier and faster thanks to the internet and subsequently online shopping. There are different factors that play a key role in these changes. Now, we’ll take a closer look at these influencing factors.
How the Internet Changed Shopping?
online search engine
Perhaps the most well-known search engine in this day and age is Google. This amazing presence helps buyers find the products they want and where they can make those purchases.
Massive amounts of data provide important information around a product or service and its online retailer. This greatly helps to enhance the decision-making process of consumers. Consumers can now make more informed purchasing decisions.
Using a search engine is free and you can do it almost anywhere. Combined with today’s logistics technology, search engines make shopping easier, faster and more convenient.
This innovation has created a trend that more and more people prefer to shop online rather than the traditional way.
Another amazing feature of the search engine is that you can see what other customers think about the product you are about to buy. Almost every e-commerce site offers this feature to customers.
A survey conducted in 2015 reported that about 60% of participants switched jobs under the significant influence of positive reviews.
Rather than asking shop assistants who may be biased and who may have never tried or used these things, you can seek advice in online reviews from people who have already tested the product. Also, you can post your product reviews for mutual benefit for buyers.
Portable and mobile smartphones, smart watches and laptops mean you can take the internet anywhere and “go” to shop. With more and more time spent on mobile phones, mobile shopping has almost become a pastime.
Similar to actual window shopping, killing time by scrolling through the catalog of products you want and reading their reviews can be very appealing.
Major e-commerce develops apps and mobile-specific websites to accommodate and take advantage of this new way of spending time. It’s now easier than ever to make a purchase with just a few taps on your phone screen.
BigCommerce reports that more than 90 percent of Americans have shopped online, and half of them respond positively.
Digital payments are also a revolutionary innovation due to the invention of online shopping and the need for live transactions. This payment method is not only faster and more convenient, but also very secure.
This gives e-shopping an advantage over traditional shopping. In fact, this payment method is so good that even stores and retailers offer it as an alternative to cash and cards.
Social Media and Advertising
Let’s take a look at the impact of social media and advertising on the way you shop. Today, social media is a popular form of entertainment in most parts of the world, especially among young people.
On these platforms, you can find some of the most honest and objective reviews of the products you want. They allow you to post photos, blogs or even rants that you wish to share.
Also, you can communicate with companies or businesses. You can send them feedback and they can provide you with helpful and timely customer service.
There is no doubt that the public prefers to buy from businesses that respond to feedback and questions and provide friendly, informative customer service. As a result, these companies are now investing more in building engaging social media pages and training helpful people.
Businesses take advantage of the fact that people spend a lot of time on these social platforms to show them ads. We can see them everywhere, in our feeds, our timelines, the videos we watch and the songs we listen to.
Businesses use this trick to get you — the potential customer — familiar with their brand name without notice. When it comes to that product, their name comes to mind first. They are very good at doing this because they understand our personal preferences by using our data.
in conclusion
The Internet has revolutionized many aspects of our lives. It has changed the way we communicate with each other, the way we entertain ourselves, and the way we shop.
You form initial opinions from reviews you read and ads you see online. You use the app and website to make purchases. You pay for them digitally.
In most cases, these are positive changes. As for what will happen in the future, we can only expect the Internet to penetrate more into our daily lives.
Reference source:
