Over the past few years, online shopping has been a popular choice for consumers to shop for items such as clothes, jewelry and even groceries. With e-commerce being popular, especially since COVID-19 due to social distancing, people are leaning towards online shopping rather than in-store shopping. While online shopping provides convenience and fast shipping, e-commerce is slowly affecting revenue for traditional stores and the shopping experience.
E-commerce, also known as electronic commerce, is the selling and buying online. Amazon is one of many popular e-commerce websites that provide buyers with competitive pricing and various products to satisfy their needs. According to an article by Reuters in 2021, “Amazon said it expects operating income for the current quarter to be between $4.5 billion and $8 billion, which includes about $1.5 billion in costs related to COVID-19.”
Traditional shopping, or in-store shopping, has been a longstanding method of purchasing goods. Shopping malls and outlets also offer opportunities for social interaction and entertainment, especially on weekends.
2020 marked a new beginning for e-commerce as the COVID-19 pandemic shut down many traditional stores due to government restrictions and safety measures. According to the article by NIH, “consumers may continue to shop online more than they did prior to the pandemic because of their experience during the lockdown” (Online shopping continuance after COVID-19: A comparison of Canada, Germany and the United States).
Senior Yojana Hernandez talks about her experience shopping before the pandemic.
“I would always shop in stores, as it was what was easiest. You would just take a quick trip to the store to buy the things you needed and I wouldn’t have to wait for them to get delivered. I only really started online shopping when COVID-19 hit, and it was only when there were specific things I needed to buy,” Hernandez said.
Traditional shopping is a lot more convenient for shoppers to be able to see and buy their desired items right away instead of waiting for them to get delivered.
Senior Paola Sanchez adds on using her experience.
“I didn’t shop much before the pandemic, but when I did, it was purely in-person. Now I easily and quickly buy anything I need from Amazon and receive it the next day, making it very convenient and easy to order,” Sanchez said.
When it comes to shopping for clothes, in-store shopping also allows consumers to see and try on the items before buying them. While online shopping does offer a variety of options, such as sizes and colors, it does not have the option to try on, making it hard for consumers to know if the clothes are suitable for them.
“If I am buying clothes, I prefer in person so I can see what I am buying, the quality, and the size, making it convenient to find clothes that fit me and knowing what I am buying,” Sanchez said.
While many people think that online shopping is going to replace in-store shopping completely, some disagree.
“I don’t think traditional stores will ever be completely gone. There is always a large number of people shopping in stores daily. It is something that can’t just go away.” Hernandez said.
Traditional shopping provides entertainment and quality time with friends and family. Many malls and shopping centers, such as The Outlets at Orange, South Coast Plaza and Mainplace Mall, receive a high volume of guests on the weekends, especially on the holidays. I had the experience of working a full shift on Black Friday at Mainplace Mall and I could say that in-store is not going away anytime soon. People went shopping in-store, not just for the convenience but also for the joy of shopping.
