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With everyday lives already full to capacity with work, social networking, and keeping fit, it is little wonder that the Internet is many people’s choice today for all their purchases. With free shipping, next day delivery, and even price comparison tools, it is no wonder that the convenience of online retail shopping is so popular. But how does this digital shopping experience compare to the effort it takes to visit the traditional store? No one can deny that online shopping has revolutionized how we shop -- our options have increased and product information has expanded, but there surely cannot be any substitute for good old "retail therapy" when we need a pick-me-up or a treat.

 

ASOS has revolutionized the way people shop around the world. Giving both men and women of all ages a variety of designers, sizes, and prices, ASOS created a way for people to shop in the comfort of their own home and offers a much larger variety than your high-end store. And lets not forget Net-A-Porter, the luxury online shopping website that made delivering your Valentino gown to your front door in the same day as ordering possible. 

 

There is no argument that online shopping has made shopping much more convenient for all people, but what has happened to actually going to the store? Well, let's face it, old fashioned shopping style is what makes the experience so positive – it’s a sensory thrill – you need to touch, taste, smell, and see what you are buying to get the full experience. Online shopping is anti-social, and diehard shoppers are social creatures... they like the interaction that shopping at a store gives them with actual human beings to interact with!

 

In the end, we as educated consumers want both worlds -- online knowledge, options, and information, and offline experiences. And both can exist in the same space; it just takes understanding the impact of one on the other to thrive.

 

 

- Anysha Panesar, YH Staff