More Than Half (52.68%) Prefer Retail and Online Shopping

Shopping is something that can never go out of style. One will always have to buy new things; hence shopping is inevitable in one’s life. When shopping once meant dressing up and going to malls, today it can be done from the comfort of your house.

Online shopping is when one simply browses and purchases goods or services from an online platform in the comfort of their home. Once the payment is through, the goods will be delivered to the specified address. Whereas offline shopping is the traditional way of shopping —in a physical store such as retail, wholesale, and others.

While both online vs. offline shopping has their pros and cons, it all comes down to personal preference. Some people may shop online but also retail shop.

Hence, Real Research, an online survey app, launched a survey on shopping preferences to probe the advantages of online shopping and disadvantages of online shopping as well as offline shopping.

Brief Overview

• Mobile phones are used (34.7%) as the common device to purchase online goods
• 75.16% have made an online purchase
• Main disadvantage of offline shopping is time-consuming, state 46.51%

Online vs. Offline Shopping

When we hear the word “shopping,” our minds fill with excitement and joy. With the previous COVID-19 pandemic, online shopping has become nothing short of a lifeline for us.

Online shopping has been our best friend in these difficult times, whether for daily household necessities or any type of luxury. Let us now look at the key differences between online and offline shopping. But first, let’s hear from our respondents.

26.52% of respondents prefer online shopping, 20.8% prefer offline shopping, whereas 52.68% prefer both.

The following survey asks the respondents if they have ever made an online purchase. Results show that 75.16% of the respondents said yes and 24.84% said otherwise.

Read Also: A Majority of 68.55% Visit Markets for Grocery Shopping

Advantages and Disadvantages of Online vs. Offline Shopping

Disadvantages

We asked our respondents why they would not prefer online shopping and the main disadvantages of it. Results are as follows:

62.33% said not being able to touch, feel, and try a product is a considerable downside, 16.27% stated the lack of physical shopping experience, and 4.79% said the lack of interactivity.

7.32% pointed out the high possibility of getting scammed and fraud, 4.88% stated the delivery times might be longer, and 1.48% possible damage to fragile items.

Advantages

In contrast, most (42.59%) stated that online shopping is convenient, 21.51% said it has better prices with discounts, 12.69% said it has a wide range of varieties, 11.66% said that it is time-saving and 4.57% said no crowd.

Read Also: 33.79% Prefer To Do Their Christmas Shopping Online

Advantages and Disadvantages of Offline Shopping

Disadvantages

Similarly, we asked the same question about offline shopping. Results show that 46.51% say that retail shopping is time-consuming, 21.57% say it is often crowded, 20.18% say challenging to compare prices with other stores, 6.8% say that it is only open for a limited time, and 4.32% availability of stock.

Advantages

The advantages of offline shopping are the ability to test the product before purchasing, say 52.3%. 17.9% say it builds customer loyalty, 11.29% say it has convenient returns and refunds, 13.13% say close-up views, and 5.12% state instant purchases.

Smartphones: Commonly Used Devices for Online Shopping

According to a study, desktops, and mobiles are the most used devices for online purchases. Desktops show a success rate of 79%, and mobiles show 72%.

Likewise, our poll asks the same question. Results show that 34.7% of the respondents use a mobile phone, and 32.16% use a desktop computer. Whereas 17.19% use laptops and 12.68% use tablets.

Online vs. Offline Shopping: How Often Do You Shop

Online vs. Offline Shopping Average Usage

34.9% shop online daily, 21.43% shop weekly, 12.76% shop bi-weekly, and 15.79% shop monthly. Whereas 37.11% shop offline daily, 21.65% shop weekly, 11.8% bi-weekly, and 15.49% monthly.

Besides that, respondents who shop online (37.96%) stated that they usually purchase groceries, 16.75% said health and beauty, 15.78% said electronics, and 8.8% said medications and drugs.

In contrast, respondents who shop offline (43.67%) said that they shop for groceries primarily, followed by 14.6% for health and beauty, 11.16% for electronics, and 10.25% for medications and drugs.