As online shopping becomes more prevalent, we have become less and less reliant on walk-in stores. People have become dependent on sites like Amazon, which can deliver anything under the sun right to your doorstep, eliminating the need to leave your house altogether. What kind of effect will this have on businesses? If many people are flocking to the internet to do their back to school shopping or grocery runs, where does that leave in-person businesses?
One of the best things about walking into a store to shop is the ability to fully assess an item-- whether that’s trying it on or asking questions about it. You are able to feel sure about your selection before purchasing it. But, this benefit is lost to convenience, something that most of our society would rather opt for. In such a fast moving world, convenience is crucial. Which option will arrive the quickest? How fast can I get this to my house? And how much effort do I need to put in to get it here? We, whether subconsciously or not, ask ourselves these questions whenever we shop on sites like Amazon. Without speed and convenience, we ask, what’s the point in shopping there?
Because of society’s urgency while shopping, some of our staple sites, such as Amazon, have created a fast track for customers who are willing to pay extra for quicker shipping rates. Amazon’s Prime option allows customers to pay a monthly fee to get expedited shipping on close to all products on the site. On top of that, customers using a standard account can pay extra during checkout to choose between a few different levels of shipping. Online sites have adapted for our every need: any product one could ever need, online for sale at your house within a few days.
We’ve also advanced from buying products, ranging from notebooks to Halloween costumes, to even ordering meals and groceries online. We’ve always been able to order food from restaurants on the phone, but we can now order without even speaking to a human at all. Through apps like Postmates, Uber Eats, and Fresh Direct, we can choose between a variety of restaurants and foods to order our breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Some companies like these don’t even employ human delivery people anymore. Some have started using robotic delivery machines that contain the customer’s food inside. These are just a few examples of the extent companies have gone to to meet society’s desires and fully gain our business and loyalty. Finally, we are also able to order things customized to our own size and design online. Ordering clothes online can be a bit of a gamble, but with size charts and other customers’ reviews, we can pretty easily order a new out fit in time for the weekend. Big name brands like Nike offer options to custom design a pair of shoes yourself, being able to customize parts from the color of the laces to the sole of the shoe. With these types of options being available, what choice do we have but to shop online?
Online stores of every form are readjusting themselves to cater to society’s ever changing needs. Need your product by tonight? Done. Dinner at 6? Done. These adaptations give consumers no choice but to switch to online shopping, because why not? Online shopping sites are on their way to making going to the store seem rare. Many people seem to be complaining about this, protesting that authenticity is escaping our society -- yet we’re the ones enabling the change.