Now that internet shopping has gone from a novelty to an everyday part of life, more and more people look online to do some or all of their shopping. However, it can be hard to convince some people of the ongoing benefits of doing business online. Check out the top 10 reasons to shop online, and you may never want to head out to the mall again!
- Save gas and time. Even if you enjoy shopping, you probably resent the time and money you spend getting there. Especially if you live in a rural area, you may spend more time getting to the store than actually shopping. Gas prices are often high too, which cuts into your shopping budget.
- Keeping track of expenditures is easier. When you visit a mall and go in and out of several stores, you may find that you spent more than you ever planned. This is especially true if you are using cash. However, when you shop online you’ll get an email confirmation of every purchase you make, enabling you to easily keep track of what you spend.
- It’s easy to pay with credit or debit cards. While more stores than ever are taking credit or debit cards, you’ll find that some small merchants still haven’t taken the plunge. This isn’t the case online! You can use your card for nearly every purchase. This is an added benefit if you get reward points or frequent flyer miles for using your card.
- Finding the best deals is easy. When you are comparing prices at brick and mortar stores, you have to visit several stores or at least call and compare prices. When you shop online you can find the best deals with the click of a button. You’ll never pay more than you need to online!
- You don’t have to clip coupons. There are coupon deals available online, but you don’t have to clip them. Check out some of the coupon websites and find codes you can use at your favorite retailers. You can often save a percentage or get free shipping just by using these codes.
- It’s never crowded. When you shop at the mall or large department store, you’ll often have to fight the crowds–especially if there is a sale! Online you never have to worry about the crowd, just sit back and enjoy shopping.
- Access to a larger selection. Regular store locations have a limited floor space; they may not carry the size or color for which you are looking. By visiting virtual stores, you’ll have access to the full selection of inventory. This is especially important for those who wear less common sizes.
- Shop anytime, day or night. Very few stores are open 24 hours a day. However, the online versions are accessible anytime, day or night. This means if you decide you need a new computer at 3am, you have a wide selection available, and you don’t have to change out of your pajamas.
- Shop around the world. Most of us are limited geographically with what stores we are able to shop. However, you can shop at stores from across the globe, as long as they ship to your country. This is a great way to get items that are unavailable in your area.
- Have gifts delivered. When you purchase gifts locally, you have to pack them to ship yourself. A benefit to shopping online is that you can have a gift delivered directly to the recipient. Some places even offer gift wrapping, to help the gift look festive.
This was an article by James from Frugaal.com – check it out for a great personal finance blog and online stock strading reviews for brokers like optionsXpress.