Welcome to the Virtual Realm of Online Shopping
The concept of shopping has transformed over the years from the conventional bustle and crowds of the shopping malls, to the quiet and tranquil practice of online shopping. Indeed, online shopping has proven to be the newest form of shopping providing individuals with the ability to shop the digital realm for virtually anything and everything without having to step foot into a store.
In order to find out how many people engage in online shopping practices, the digital marketing company Tellwut conducted an online survey. Over, 11,000 panel members participated and were asked whether they shopped online. According to the results 81% of participants engaged in online shopping, while 15% of participants did not shop online and 2% chose not to comment.
As online shopping provides consumers unlimited access to merchandise and services, Tellwut was interested in learning about Tellwutter’s shopping behaviors and finding out which products they are interesting in purchasing online. The results for the most popular items and commodities that the Tellwut community would purchase online are as follows: online purchases of ebooks topped the list at 19% , 18% shop for electronics, 17% shop for movies and music while 14% purchase flights and travel packages online.
Despite the popularity of online shopping, many individuals chose not to shop online due to the dangers of credit card fraud. According to the results from a survey conducted by Tellwut, 51% of participants expressed concern about shopping online due to credit card fraud, while 33% of participants did not worry about credit card fraud while shopping online.
Although it is good to be cautious when providing ones’ credit card information, it is important to keep in mind that shopping online can be safe, as long as consumers take the necessary steps to protect themselves and their identity. For instance, always ensure that the website you are using is the official site of a company before your make your purchase, that the link during the purchase is secure (i.e. includes the “s” in the beginning of the url – https) and always make sure that you keep your computer protected with anti-virus systems to prevent it from being hacked. Following these tips can be extremely helpful and can help to alleviate the concern of becoming a victim of online fraud.
Overall, for those who do not shop online and have no interest in doing so in the future- no pressure. Sometimes people just prefer the interactive and tangible experience that the mall has to offer. However, it is interesting to ponder what will become of the shopping mall as the amount of online shoppers continues to rise?