What Inspires You To Shop Online Today?
Shop Online
What really inspires you to shop online today? Shopping online continues to grow each year, since 1991 when it first appeared, as many people just click away and buy online.
Forrester Research estimates that the United States online retail industry will be worth $279 billion in 2015. That is just in the United States that shop online only! More people are using their tablets and smartphones to order online as they are becoming the more popular mode to connected to the internet. That is still only 8% of all retail sales being done online. There is still a lot of room for growth to shop online.
So why do you shop online?
- The prices are lower
- The convenience
- The selections are greater
- The ease of it
- Not having to wait in line
- Love receiving packages in the mail
- Better deals
- Don’t like the traffic near stores
What is the most important factor for you when shopping online?
- Free Shipping
- Best selection
- Return policies
- Ease of finding products
- Product descriptions
- Prices even if you pay for shipping
- Brand recognition
- Emails received with specials
- Customer service
- Referred by friend
- Testimonials from others
- Seeing products made in the USA
- Large quantities of products
- Selection of payments, credit card, PayPal, etc.
- Out of stock
- Paying for return shipping
- Not being able to reach customer service
- Not receiving shipping tracking
- Slow websites
- Not being able to find what you need
- No sizing charts
- Small selection
- Few quantities left
- Not being able to use American Express or another form of payment?
- Great service
- Great products
- Happy beyond expectation on the purchase online
- Discount offered to write a testimonial
- Fast turn around and delivery
We see it all everyday with online shoppers. Those that just browse, those that put things in shopping carts and go away and those that come back another day to make that same purchase. They may have looked elsewhere for lower prices. Some call and inquire on products. A few email their questions. These questions make us get better everyday with adding more product descriptions or size charts on the sites. Out of stocks are trickier, some are in stock in the a.m. and some other store may sell them before we see the inventory update. Other customers write testimonials and reviews of their purchase. Most are from customers who have contacted us for info and love the quick response. We just love those. Of course you can’t please everyone.
So I’d love to know, what inspires you to shop online?
 |
About Lisa
Helping Others to Thrive Online Through Social Media, Blogging and SEO. What good is knowledge if you cannot share it with others?
20+ years experience in marketing/advertising with 3 years experience blogging, social media and SEO.
33 Responses to What Inspires You To Shop Online Today?
Leave a Reply
Hi Lisa,
for me most important factors when I buy online are:
-testimonials from others
-low prices
-easy of finding products
-and finally wide range of available products
And I hate poor customer service and fakes!
Thanks for sharing
Chris
Chris recently posted..35+ Traffic and SEO Tips & Articles From Bloggers
The EASE of shopping online is fabulous PLUS I don’t have to go to the stores, try the stuff on, get frustrated, and drive home empty handed. I buy online, try it on in the privacy of my own home (no sneaky camera’s hiding), doesn’t fit, no biggy, ship it back. There are no long lines to wait in; no limits on how many items in the dressing room; then putting your clothes & shoes back on to go exchange for more items to try. UGH! Shopping at a store is definitely a major bummer for me. I’d return things a thousand times before shopping in the dang stores.
I’ve been doing much more of it myself Brenda.Don’t enjoy shopping like I did as a teenager. What wiuld make you NOT return to an online store?
My hubs is Mr. Fed Ex so I have no problem returning online, even if I have to pay.
Much easier than trips to the store, parking issues, and the weather melting you before you get inside the store! 
The ease of choice. Lower prices. Return policies. The convenience. Oh, much more. Just wish if we could simply do every shopping today online!
Chadrack recently posted..The 3 Scientific Steps to Using Social Media for Online Selling!
Chadrack, what do you mean by ease of choice – finding things quickly? Return policies – which do you prefer? Thanks!
I love online shopping. I started shopping online when my child got to big to be in the basket. We are military and live abroad right now so shopping online is also wonderful otherwise my child would have a couple of outfits that every child in the military can get from the bx.We are switching schools next year and I have to go into a shop and buy her new uniforms, I am actually going to get a sitter. Shopping online is THE BEST THING IN THE WORLD.
Thanks Cynthia, have you had any bad experiences shopping online?
I have not had any real bad experiences. So far so good. I am addicted to My Habit right now so I have been doing a lot of shopping there. And Amazon is usually good at keep the quality high and you can not beat the free shipping.
So is FREE shipping key for you Cynthia? Thanks for commenting.
Shipping cost can get really ugly when you live overseas so it is key that it is free or a flat rate.
Cynthia
I would have to say Lisa that it’s the convenience of it. If you must know the truth, I hate to shop. Always have and probably always will.
I like that I can find what I want for less and the majority of the time the shipping isn’t bad. I can have it delivered to my doorstep and save all that hassle. But if I want something now and they can’t get it to me as quickly as I want it, I’ll get in the car and go to the store. I much prefer shopping online though. Ya just can’t beat it girl!
~Adrienne
Adrienne recently posted..What Are You Thinking
Adrienne, what would you consider “bad” shipping? Did you always not like shopping?
When I said “bad” I meant expensive… Ouch!!! Some shipping is more then the cost of the product. Yikes!!!
Adrienne recently posted..What Are You Thinking
Thanks Adrienne for clarifying, I thought so but wasn’t sure. Appreciate you coming back and explaining
Have a great day!
I with Adrienne. I HATE shopping in the stores, always have, always will
LOL, you are too funny. Are you sure that’s how you REALLY feel? I was curious because I really enjoyed it when I was younger, as I got older began to dislike the time it takes.
I like to order stuff online, although I rather have the goods I’m buying in my hands to touch it, feel the weight, all that. But it’s easy to buy online and fast too.
One drawback (for the buyer) is that one might do some ‘impulse shopping’. For the seller that obviously a good thing!
I hadn’t thought of the “impulse” spending Jan. Interesting. Probably because when I shop online I have a plan. But at a store I can be persuaded more. Thanks for that insight
Hi Lisa,
You have researched well about online shopping with it’s advantages and drawbacks. Well done
I d love shopping online as long as it’s secure and convenient. Wide range of selections, no traffic, relatively better price and offering related products are really dragging me to online shopping too. However most times, seeing “No Shipping Available” is what I’m worrying about.
One more drawback in E-commerce is we have to pay first before we get our stuff. However it’s a matter of trust
Nice post Lisa
You’ve list it down well here.
Cheers…
Oh yes, different countries, no shipping available. Are there many stores that do ship to your country or not Mayura?
Mostly here people used to shop on eBay dear. Still online shopping is insecure one except for eBay and yeah some do Amazon too
Mostly they would be electronic stuff. I only did on eBay and as it helps to filter out shipping, it’s easy to find products with shipping there dear. However relatively low 
Cheers…
Hi Lisa,
I shop online because it is convenient and I look for unique products that are mostly unavailable in stores. For example some health products and supplements are quite impossible to find in shops or the shops are overseas.
Mariella Lombardi recently posted..Negative Calorie Foods – Eat As Much As You Want and Still Lose Weight
Hi Lisa,
For me it’s a combination of knowing I can get the best price online and I don’t have to go searching for the product I’m looking for in the shops. It’s time consuming and the internet allows me do do a price match in seconds, compared to running around trying to save a few pounds.
Lastly, you can’t argue with free or cheap shipping, WIN,WIN.
I don’t think I’ve ever left a review for a purchase online, once it arrives and it’s in good condition I forget about the site I purchased from.
So you never order from same site again Simmeon? Interesting. What if they sent you an email for a review?
I forget about it in the sense of, not visiting it again unless I wanted to order again at a future date.
I would leave a review for a services that I use on a regular basis.
Not if I bought some socks, or a new shirt.
Let’s just say for starters I don’t need any inspiration when it comes to shopping
I like off and online shopping for different reasons. Online is less hectic. Offline I need to see the stuff in person. Like I am not real fond of buying clothes online because I like to try them on. Online I totally buy everything else from hair dryers to jewelry.
Michelle recently posted..Doctors Recommending Areola Tattoos for Breast Cancer Patients…WHAT
Hi Michelle, I am surprised you would not want to see the jewelry, Interesting
I like to shop in person but some things are just so easy to get online and delivered to my door. Also, it is nice when a store is not in my area to easily order online. I just hate when you order then they tell you it is out of order.
Oh yes, that out of stock. Happens quite a bit. That’s a challenge for sure!
Hello Lisa, I just want to bring back my good habit in visiting helpful blog like yours. Yours, my first choice, and to say something about “shopping online”, honestly I just bought a book via my trusted blog, and the convenience is really something you will tell yourself, I want to do shopping online forever as I hate waiting, standing to wait for your turn in the counter, etc… and what’s worst, am finding a book for my accounting subject and I can’t find it… almost all bookstore, and am planning to buy online this very moment!
Hi Lisa, Great post as always. I like shopping online for ease of access, sometimes a wider availability of products and some companies discount online purchases. It really came into its own when I had my first daughter and meant even though I was short on time, she still was equipped with clothing and anything else that she needed. Pet hates are slow sites, confusing terms and sites not having sufficient information so you still have to contact customer services. Overall online shopping has been and continues to be a blessing.
Fitnessbuster supporting you in improving your fitness and nutrition.
Gillian recently posted..Can I Train on an Empty Stomach
Thanks Gillian. Glad to hear you do like it. Interesting about confusing terms, been trying to make ours better each week as things “come up”. Definitely a wider section of products online as brick and mortar stores are cutting back on their inventories. Thanks for your input on this one.