Is Online Shopping A Better Way To Buy?

Two Daily Campus Writers Take Sides

By: Alyse Taub and Melissa Vega

Posted: 12/10/07

Shopping Online Is Risky; You Just Can't Beat The Real Thing -- By Alyse Taub

As the Internet becomes more and more a part of our everyday lives, so does online shopping. Or does it?

Although many have embraced online shopping, the majority still prefers the traditional shopping experience. According to shop.org, online sales still account for less than 10 percent of total retail sales and recent studies show that the growth rate of online sales is slowing down.

Hidden fees such as shipping and processing fees, inability to see and touch what you're buying, and wait time to receive the items are among the many complaints associated with online shopping. Additionally, many companies charge fees to ship back and reshelf items that are returned, something that can often be avoided if the consumer saw the item prior to the purchase.

"I would never buy something online that you have to try on, like a dress," said Kelsey Lundgren, a 3rd-semester exploratory major.

Other trends in online shopping include using Web sites to find the lowest price after seeing the item in the store or using the online shopping sites to get background information on an item and then purchasing it in the store. Both trends demonstrate the consumer's desire to see and touch an item before they purchase it.

The bottom line is consumers want a more interactive experience when it comes to shopping, whether it's in a store or online.

"The leveling off of e-commerce reflects the practical and psychological limitations of shopping online, according to Nancy F. Koehn, a professor at Harvard Business School who studies retailing and consumer habits, as quoted in The New York Times. "As physical stores have made the in-person buying experience more pleasurable, online stores have continued to give shoppers a blasé experience. In addition, online shopping, because it involves a computer, feels like work to some consumers."

In addition to the unwillingness of shoppers to open their wallets, the sites are under physical limitations as well. For one thing, many online shopping sites cannot handle the increased capacity of the holiday shopping season.

On Cyber Monday, the Monday after Thanksgiving (similar to Black Friday), heavy traffic overwhelmed an online commerce service offered by Yahoo!, which prevented eager shoppers from completing purchases at thousands of Web sites. The problems began late in the morning on the East Coast and persisted for hours more, according to the Associated Press.

When the Internet was taking off in the late '90s, many predicted the disappearance of the real-world store, but as time goes on these predictions seem to be far from reality.

Contact Alyse Taub at
Alyse.Taub@UConn.edu.

Internet Shopping Has It All: Ease, Convenience And Availability -- By Melissa Vega

As the days get colder, it's getting more and more difficult just to leave your dorm or apartment, even just to go to class. But even though the weather out there is frightful Christmas and Hanukkah presents must still be bought. But what's to do? Shop online.

Each year more and more people are resorting to online shopping as the easier way to buy what you need without catching a chill. It's much simpler to just point, click and buy away. Online shopping has become more and more popular in this country, with some Web sites even willing to send gift wrap, or wrap the gifts themselves.

But with tales of identity theft, viruses and internet scams abounding, you may be surprised to learn that shopping online is no less safe than shopping in a store, according to OnGuardOnline.com, a Web site which provides information on safe ways to protect yourself against internet fraud.

OnGuardOnline suggests a few simple precautions to safeguard your shopping experience. The site recommends you confirm a Web site's physical address and a working phone number before you make any purchases. They also suggest you read the fine print, pay by credit card, and read the information on refunds and deliveries before you click that checkout button. Ebay.com urges shoppers to make all their online purchases with PayPal, an payment management site. PayPal allows users to securely transfer payments in any way they chose including through credit cards, bank accounts, buyer credit or account balances - all without sharing financial information, according to the PayPal Web site.

Not only is online shopping easy and safe, it's also convenient because digital stores never close. You can shop online 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And because your orders are processed online the manufacturer can provide faster shipping and service.

Considering the ease, security and convenience of online shopping, there really aren't many reasons to venture out into that winter blizzard to hunt all over town for that perfect gift. And shopping online might even help you be more financially responsible since impulse buying and you have the ability to keep track of exactly what you're spending.

"Yeah, it's not always the smartest thing to do … but it's definitely easy," Erica Legge, a 5th semester Art major. "You have a lot to choose from that you wouldn't find in the stores and you can keep track of how much you spend by clicking on the shopping cart, it's definitely a plus."

So this holiday season, when you're sitting at your computer, studying for finals and wondering what to get everyone for Christmas or Hanukkah, go ahead and click away, just read the fine print before a final decision.

Contact Melissa Vega at
Melissa.Vega@UConn.edu.