Essay on Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Shopping

In a world full of technologies, nothing is left from the impact of digitalization. With the emergence of the internet, everyone is going digital. Now we have power in our hands. We can book movie tickets online, we can pay bills online, we can book vehicle tickets online and even we can order food online. When everything can be done through mobile then why not shopping? Yes, you can shop for anything from your mobile phone.

Essay on Online Shopping

Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Shopping Essay in English

Here, I’m providing short and long essays on the Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Shopping. This topic will be useful for students and everyone who is still confused with this mode of shopping.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Shopping Essay 10 Lines (100 – 150 Words)

1) Online shopping is when you buy a product or service over the internet.

2) Online shopping allows you to purchase goods anytime, whether it is day or night.

3) In online shopping, your item is delivered at home without going anywhere.

4) Goods purchased online are cheaper than those available in the offline markets.

5) In online shopping, customers are loaded with a variety of options and offers.

6) Online shopping is more prone to cybercrimes.

7) It has a higher chance of receiving damaged or unwanted products.

8) Online shopping sometimes does not provide full customer satisfaction.

9) Quick delivery of products is not possible while shopping online.

10) Online shopping is not meant for people who do not have smartphones.


Short Essay on Pros and Cons of Online Shopping (200 – 250 Words)

Online shopping, sometimes also referred to as e-shopping is a modern technique of buying products by making use of the internet. A wide variety of things are available in the online market. You can easily purchase them with the help of your mobile phones, laptops, tablets, etc.

Online markets are blessings for working people who follow busy schedules. People who do not want to waste time by going to the markets; they can easily buy products online. You can sit on the sofa while making any purchase. However, online shopping does not restrict you with their timings. They are open all the time on all the days of the week. All you need to do is a few clicks on your mobile phone and the product is at your home.

But it can raise several security related issues. Doing payment online requires more attention and care. Because of this reason, many people set their foot back from online shopping. Online shopping sometimes disappoints you by delivering wrong or damaged products. In fact, the long wait for product delivery is not suitable for urgently required items. While shopping online, many sites apply delivery charges on the products; hence you need to pay an extra amount. Online shopping is not suitable for the purchase of many products as you cannot check the actual quality of the product. Seeing only pictures is sometimes not sufficient to make choices.


Long Essay on Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Shopping (500 – 600 Words)

Introduction

Earlier people used to go to distant markets to buy necessary things. There was no other available option for shopping. But now with the changing time, we have changed our method of buying things. Nowadays, people have the option to choose whether they want to go to the market or the product will get delivered to their doorstep. Yes, this can be possible when you shop online.

Making use of the internet to buy products is called online shopping. In online shopping, we can shop anything by picking them from the virtual online stores and ordering them at our address. It is a simple and convenient mode of shopping.

Online Shopping: Brief History

After the emergence of smartphones and internet technology, online shopping came into existence. Initially, it was designed to promote and advertise the products of the companies. Later, it was made possible to exchange goods using the internet. In 1994, the first secure shopping channel was established. Flowers, wines, and chocolates were the initial products that were sold online. Later the online market flourished and wide varieties of products were made available.

In 1995, Amazon and eBay established its site for online shopping followed by Alibaba in 2003. Soon after, many other online shopping sites have made their place in the market.

Advantages/ Benefits of Online Shopping

Online shopping offers huge advantages to their customers. The dependency of people on online shopping is increasing day by day. During the days of the pandemic, online shopping was the savior of the time. Some of the major advantages of online shopping are as follows:

  • Flexibility: Online shopping is a flexible way of purchasing products. There is no time bound in an online market. Whenever you are free, you can scroll down for your favorite items and order them.
  • Big savings: You can save your fuel, energy, as well as the time when opting to online shopping. No need to move anywhere, just move your fingers.
  • Comparison: During online shopping, you can easily compare the prices of different products from different sites. While offline shopping, going to various shops to compare prices will be a hectic job.
  • Huge options: Unlike limited items in the physical shops, online stores are flooded with a wide variety of items. They offer a huge option to choose from.
  • Good deals: Online shopping sites throw various good deals to their customers. During any occasion or festive season, they offer discounts and low prices.

Disadvantages/ Cons of Online Shopping

No method can fully satisfy customers, and so the online method of shopping. For some people, it is a boon while some still fear shopping online. Some of the disadvantages of online shopping are listed below:

  • Security: The main fear people experience while shopping online is security. If not taken proper precautions, you can easily be the victim of online fraud. Payment and privacy are other concerns associated with the online market.
  • Satisfaction: Online shopping does not provide full customer satisfaction as you are not allowed to check the product physically. There are many chances of wrong product delivery.
  • Difficult to return: If you are not satisfied with the product, you can return them but the process is not that simple. Some sites do not even offer an exchange or return policy.
  • Delivery: While ordering anything online, it takes time to reach your destination. Therefore, you need to wait for some days to receive the product.
  • Bargaining: Offline markets are a good place for people who are experts in bargaining. In online stores, prices are fixed and you cannot deny them.

Conclusion

Today the number of people who shop online is comparatively high.  The growing trend of online shopping has turned many people towards purchasing things online. However, many still prefer to go to physical shops to buy things. Among online shopping and offline shopping, people can choose the way that suits them better.


I hope the above given essay on online shopping will be useful for you in knowing the advantages and disadvantages of this modern mode of shopping.

FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions on Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Shopping

Q.1 Which are the best sites for online shopping?

Ans. Amazon.in, Snapdeal.com, AJIO.com, Myntra.com, Flipkart.com, etc are some famous sites for online shopping.

Q.2 Which is the largest online shopping site?

Ans. Amazon.in, founded by Jeff Bezos is the leading online shopping site in the world.

Q.3 Who was the inventor of online shopping?

Ans. Michael Aldrich was the inventor of online shopping, who established the technique of e-commerce in 1979.

Q.4 What things are available in online shopping?

Ans. You can buy many things online like clothes, groceries, electronics, packaged food, furniture, beauty and personal care products, toys, home decor, etc.