Online Shopping vs In Store Shopping - Infographics (2023)

Online shopping vs in store shopping is a debate that became prevalent over the past few years, mostly due to the advent of online stores. As a result of the efficient combination of retail and e-commerce, online retailers grew in popularity worldwide. That’s why we offer you to consider the benefits and reasons for giving preference to online shopping.

Moreover, we will also pay special attention to the features of designing and managing online stores. It is not enough to create an attractive web resource. It is vital to follow all the rules and nuances of development necessary to provide a positive buying experience. Let’s start our conversation about shopping online vs shopping in stores and the benefits you can get for your business.

Make Your Life Easier with Online Shopping

Shopping online is one of those innovations that served to make life more comfortable and convenient. A good many of the tech innovations you enjoy today, including smartphones, international planes, and the Internet, all facilitate a seamless, enjoyable shopping experience.

What It Is

Online shopping can be defined as a derivative of retail e-commerce where you can purchase from a retail eCommerce store on the Internet. It is rare to see a commodity that you cannot buy online. Everything is available to you from the comfort of your couch – from material goods such as gadgets and clothing to consumables such as groceries and food.

What’s more, today’s technology goes as far as to offer virtual stores leveraging VR and 3D modeling to simulate real-life shopping experiences – with virtual try-on, interactive user manuals, and more. All while maintaining the perks of online shopping that we overview below!

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Enjoy Endless Opportunities

In the past decade, online shopping has become a central part of an average internet user’s life because of products’ accessibility. With online shopping, you can find various goods and services at different online retail stores and vendors. Nowadays, you can procure even such services as IT, plumbing, indoor decorating, and others online. As long as you have internet access and a credit or debit card, as the case may be, the world is your oyster.

Online Store vs In Store Shopping – Features Exclusive To An Online Store

Customers have the luxury of choosing to shop online or in a physical store. But the controversy between online and in-store shopping undoubtedly seems to lean heavily towards the online store when it comes to features:

1. Online stores have versatility and accessibility that you just can’t create in stores. Moreover, geographic location isn’t a problem anymore – you have access to brands that are not represented in a city or country.
2. Also, an online store allows you the opportunity to browse through a large selection of products. You can visit an unlimited amount of vendors in a day and compare the prices and quality of products from different stores.
3. Additionally, most online vendors have a specification and features section that you can use to make an informed decision whether to buy a product. You can also talk to the manufacturers and inquire about the item or service you intend to purchase in some cases.
4. Online stores allow you to read product reviews from people who have bought and used a product in the past. If you have shopped online consistently, you can attest to the positive impact that product reviews had on your shopping decisions.
5. Besides, it is super easy to manage an online store using Shopify & Appy Pie App Maker or any alternative to Shopify.

Online Shopping vs In Store Shopping – The Financial Aspect

The choice of online shopping vs in store shopping might split opinions amongst most shoppers, but the truth is that both modes of shopping generate substantial revenues. It almost looks like they are complementing each other.

Increase in Online Shopping

It would interest you to know that online shopping is growing at an astounding rate – three times faster than offline shopping. Despite this fact, many shoppers still prefer going to a physical store, and in-store shopping has the edge in total sales when it comes to revenue.

Some Statistics

According to Statista data, in 2019, retail e-commerce sales worldwide amounted to 3.53 trillion US dollars, and e-retail revenues are projected to grow to 6.54 trillion US dollars in 2022. Considering some useful statistics on online shopping vs in store shopping in the US, 81% of all Americans prefer to do their shopping online.

Ten years ago, in-store shopping had a big lead financially. Today, that lead has reduced drastically. With more tweaks to the retail and e-commerce system taking place every day, it is evident that online shopping might have a financial edge in the years to come.

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An informative post and infographic from Redbrain below clearly show that many large US companies’ online revenues have skyrocketed in recent years.

Some Tips for Successful Online Shopping

Be Careful

During online shopping vs in store shopping, it is not easy to control yourself: there is always the temptation to buy and spend more than planned. Try not to rush through the checkout process and carefully choose what you need.

Don’t lose your mind because of attractive offers – try to choose what you need, not to spend more money than planned. It’s better to add items to the Wish list to consider all the pros and cons.

Check The Order Again

Check all the details not to purchase shoes two sizes smaller or tickets to the cinema on the wrong time/date. Also, make sure you’ve specified the correct data(surname, phone number, address).

Necessary Newsletter Subscription

You can get “tasty” deals and discounts if you subscribe to a particular store.

Follow Your Favorite Stores on Social Media

Many companies announce promotional codes and special offers among their subscribers on social networks. It is quite possible to win a valuable prize.

Wholesale – Save Money On Delivery

There are things that we buy over and over again. For example, soap, toilet paper, paper towels, and so on. Why not buy them straight away for a better price.

Compare Prices in Online Stores

Are you going to make a big purchase? Compare prices for the product you are interested in using particular services, for example, Google Shopping or Shopping.com, where you can choose by brands, categories of items, prices, types of delivery, etc. This method is excellent for finding the price that suits you.

Participate in Bonus Programs

Pay attention to the stores’ bonus programs. Usually, bonuses are awarded for purchases that have already been made. These bonuses can be paid off the next time you order.

Don’t forget to Specify Date of Your Birth

Stores often offer discounts and gifts to customers on their birthday, as well as 3-5 days before and after. Find out if the store you are interested in has such offers. You should indicate the date of birth when registering on the store’s website. There is a high probability that you will be offered some bonuses for this day.

A Piece of Advice For Safe Online Shopping

Online shopping vs in store shopping is a quick and convenient way to buy almost any product you could imagine. Still, you can face some risks by shopping this way. Therefore it’s essential to know how to identify a secure online store and how to protect yourself. Let’s figure out some things to remember for the best possible experience:

• make sure your computer’s operating system and Internet browser are up to date
• install some good malware-protection software to protect from viruses and fraudulent activity
• to protect sensitive information like credit card numbers, it’s better to make purchases from home and avoid using public wifi
• buy at reliable retailers with a good reputation(like Amazon or eBay)
• if the site is unfamiliar for you, make sure to look for green https://, meaning that the site is SSL encrypted and provides the necessary security
• make sure to keep a note of phone number and physical address, so you know whom to contact in case there is a problem with your transaction
• it’s a good idea to do some research on what and who you’re buying from
• pay attention to customers reviews
• when you log in, check whether your passwords are strong enough
• use online payment services like PayPal

In conclusion, new ways to steal your information appear every day, and you should trust your gut. If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is, and if anything seems suspicious, don’t make the purchase.

It’s High Time to Start Your Business

In light of recent events, having an online store is a huge benefit for business owners. With the MotoCMS eCommerce shop plugin, you can create a user-friendly website, present your products, get new clients, and boost your sales. Moreover, no tech skills are required. You can make the store of your dreams with no coding knowledge. We present you with a variety of responsive eCommerce templates, and you should only fill one of them with the necessary content.

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Some Development Tips for Successful Online Experience

Although trust in online shopping has grown significantly in recent years, many users are still wary of internet buying. Several reasons explain this behavior, and they must be considered when designing a web resource. No matter how functional and attractive your site is, users are unlikely to want to make purchases if you cannot satisfy their psychological needs. We talked about these nuances in detail in the In Store vs Online Shopping Statistics, and I highly recommend it so that you can understand and create a motivating environment.

In short, in online shopping vs in store shopping, real-life stores win only in the ability to give customers a unique shopping experience. Plus, the opportunity to touch the goods, examine them personally, and communicate with consultants. Spoiler: online stores can compensate for this through thoughtful design and properly configured ways of interacting with visitors.

Show How You Can Save Their Money

The ability to save a budget is the top financial feature of online shopping vs retail shopping. It is also the reason why users prefer to shop online. Benefit from it yourself and let customers do it:

• Offer free shipping or special terms where users can reduce costs.
• Offer customers ways to compare prices in online shopping vs in store shopping. It is especially valid for big purchases and the need to choose among many analogs. It can be a separate built-in feature or a specialized filter by brand, type, or functionality.
• If possible, provide the opportunity to buy in bulk for retailers or special bonus programs for regular customers.
• Implement discounts for online shoppers that can be used on future purchases.

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Provide Ease of Use of Your Online Store

Did you know that 50% of the success of online stores is the right design, developed taking into account the knowledge of the psychology of online shopping? Most new online purchases are spontaneous desires resulting from the right motivation. The comfort and seamlessness of the process of going through the purchase only strengthen the desire to stay longer on the pages of the online store. Pay special attention to the technical nuances of development so that your site is not only ergonomic but also:

• • clear and easy to use without third-party shopping plugins, intrusive banners, and complicated purchase paths;
  • productive, with consistently fast loading of web pages;
  • memorable, meaning the ability to create a wishlist, save the history of purchases and basket filling even after page updates;
  • understanding – modern web tools work magic with help in choosing primary and related products, so use their potential to the maximum.

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Build Up Customer Relations

When comparing online shopping vs in store shopping, we also considered the interaction factor with real people, which many internet buyers lack. That’s why it’s your responsibility to keep your marketing and customer relations teams running smoothly. Allow your customers to contact managers for help or clarify the order’s details. Managers can share a digital business card to enable customers to contact them easier.Plus, don’t forget about “passive” support like:

• regular email newsletters with hot offers and news;
• bonuses for birthdays and national holidays;
• motivation for subscribing to social networks and a blog, if any;
• reminders of updates in wishlists.

Special Attention to Safety

I want to pay special attention to this aspect since the security of the purchase is the main factor influencing the choice between shopping online vs shopping in stores. Purchasing goods online is a quick and convenient way to buy almost any product you could imagine at an affordable price. However, this also involves some risks. And the discrepancy between the expected and received quality is the least of the related problems. Therefore it’s essential to know how to identify a secure online store and how to protect your customers. Let’s figure out some things to remember for the best possible experience.

Online Store Reputation

The more reputable and reliable your site is, the fewer doubts your customers have about choosing online shopping vs in store shopping. Unlike rapid technical security tools, reputation is a resource that builds over time. Anyone cannot buy reputation, so be careful and pay more attention to customer interaction and feedback:

• Be honest and publish all comments about the product, paying attention to moderation if necessary.
• Think of criticism as a way to improve your service that you can demonstrate to clients.
• Develop a transparent return, shipping, and quality tracking policy.
• Engage with proven advertising tools and attract trusted influencers.

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Website Security Technical Guarantees

Choose a proven hosting to ensure that the data and information used by your online store are securely protected. Plus, it would be nice to get an SSL certificate confirming the security of the interaction.

If you are using a proven CMS, the good news is that reliable web solution developers can offer suitable providers whose services have been established over the years and experience. MotoCMS also provides the ability to get a trustworthy SSL certificate for website and GDPR compliance so that your customers can be sure that their data is entirely secure.

Payments Security

Try to use trusted and popular electronic payment systems like PayPal and Alipay. The main feature of secure payments is that they are carried out through a super-secure intermediary system that ensures the safety of payment data.

Besides, we recommend minimizing the amount of personal data used in personal user accounts. When placing an order, do not ask for much “extra” information, such as additional addresses, pet’s name, etc. It sounds funny, but 80% of online purchases end up with data validation problems and excessive requests from the online store.