What is online shopping?

Online shopping is the process of buying goods and services from merchants who sell on the Internet. Since the emergence of the World Wide Web, merchants have sought to sell their products to people who surf the Internet. Shoppers can visit web stores from the comfort of their homes and shop as they sit in front of the computer.

Advantages

With online shopping, a person logs onto the Internet, visits the store's website, and chooses the items she desires. The items are held in a virtual shopping cart until she is ready to make her purchase. The shopper can remain in her pajamas as she does her shopping, and the process can be conducted in the wee hours of the morning or late into the night. Online stores never close — they're open 24 hours a day.

Disadvantages

Since it's necessary to provide credit card information when purchasing products online, people worry they may become the victims of identity theft. This discourages some consumers from participating in online shopping. Another reason some consumers avoid shopping online is the fact that they worry that the products they purchase are not accurately portrayed in the website's picture. They worry that the picture of the item may appear one way, but the actual item may look completely different — perhaps of lesser quality. It's also impossible to try on apparel when conducting online shopping.