Your friends are doing it and are completely satisfied. But still, you are wary of internet shopping. You've heard of stories of online purchases that were never delivered, or purchases never made ending up on a friend's credit card bill. And of course, there's always the threat of identity theft. Still, you can't help but think, what if… the extra time online shopping can give you would be a big help.

Below are the reasons to finally help you decide whether to go to your computer, or the nearby mall to buy those Christmas, birthday or anniversary presents as soon as possible.

Advantages:
1. Convenience. You can get your presents at any hour. You can shop early in the morning before regular business hours, or while the kids are asleep. Go while you are having coffee, or having a beer. You can get those Christmas gifts anytime, whatever else you are doing, without having to change clothes, or spend for gas.

Shopping time is also faster since you just browse the store catalogue. Instead of fighting with in-store customers for the last size 7 or having to get a price check for an item without a price tag always takes more time than looking at the picture and finding your size in stock

2. Comparison shopping: You can always compare prices with other sellers immediately.

3. Competitive Pricing: In some cases, you can find lower prices online than in a retail environment (such as for cars, budget airline tickets) because there is lower overhead required for the sales personnel costs, printing, use of electricity, etc.

4. Availability: You can find ALL products in one place (the computer), unlike when shopping in "real time", different kinds of items require you to visit different stores. For example, you want to buy airline tickets first and grab that blouse you've been wanting for so long. You just need to log in on the internet and search for it. You don't need to drive to the ticketing office first, then go to the nearest clothing store.

Disadvantages:

1. Slow Speeds: If you have a slower internet connection, surfing can make picture downloading a time-consuming drag. The wait times to complete online orders with slower internet speeds may be the same as just going to the retail location intself.

2. Social Interaction: Many people prefer interacting with the item to be bought to ensure quality that can't be found in item views and drop-down lists. They may also want the level of customer service that can't be found online.

3. Order Problems: If your order doesn't ship properly or you have a problem with the product once you received it in the mail, returns and replacement may be a hassle if the website is not associated with an in-store retailer. Additionally, any shipment can be delayed for a number of reasons.

4. Paying a premium: Last-minute shoppers (and those who want instant gratification) will pay more for express delivery.

5. And of course: There is always the risk of fraud or identity theft.

These are just some of the reasons why people love or steer clear of shopping online. Wherever you decide to shop, the important thing is your convenience and being able to spread joy with the presents you are able to get for your loved ones.

References:

Schaupp and Belanger. A Conjoint Analysis of Online Consumer Satisfaction.
http://www.csulb.edu/journals/jecr/issues/20052/paper2.pdf

Stathopoulos, Gina. 10 Tips to Safe Online Shopping.
http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article7322.html