Over the past few years the internet has played a big part in all of our lives, most of us spend a significant amount of our day online, whether it is at work or browsing the web for our next online purchase. However with online shopping comes pros and cons but rather than just taking our word for it, we’ve asked a regular online shopper to share with us how they really think.

The major benefit of online shopping is being able to do so in the comfort of your own home and in your own time (I’m a PJ wearing online shopper myself), without the stress of opening times. This is a huge benefit to people like me who have children who can’t just leave the house, and I image it’s the same for shift workers and shoppers who live too far away from their favourite store. Online shopping also eliminates the rushing aspect as there are no queues online, you just simply pick what you like and pay whenever suits you.

Online shopping means customers can leave feedback anytime, especially through social networking sites. Retailers need to be aware that customer complaints don’t always fit in with their 9-5 customer support desks.

Parting with my hard earned cash is something I’m not a fan of (who is?) so online shopping gives me the ability to compare prices and research in more detail the product’s that I’m interested in. If I’m looking for a specific item I can just go online and shop around for the very best deal in a matter of minutes.

Customer reviews are also an additional benefit, most websites allow customers to leave a review of the product they have recently purchased (incentives are often used). As a female who does the majority of her clothes shopping online, this is useful as reviews can often shed some light in terms of helping you pick your dress size. For example, if all reviews associated with the product suggested the sizing was too small, then of cause you would order the next size up.

Have your product pages got social share buttons on? If not make sure you integrate social share buttons such a Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest into your product pages so customers can tell the world about your products.

Another pet hate is pushy sales people who constantly try and encourage you to purchase additional items you have NO interest in at all, but thanks to the internet the only thing I have to battle with is getting my debit card out of my purse.

Not to forget that whilst shopping online you can find cheeky voucher codes, allowing you to buy your desired product for less money, everyone’s happy! It’s also a nice treat when all your purchases get delivered, even if I already know what’s in the packages, it’s not going to stop me from giving them a little shake as if it’s a present.

Now here come the cons of online shopping, the obvious one being that you have to wait for your item to be delivered, which if you’re as inpatient as me you can’t help thinking every delivery van is the one which holds your goodies. Delivery cost is also a little niggling factor in online shopping, in some situations the cost of delivery maybe more than driving and buying the item yourself.

As a “try and buy” girl, another issue, is not having the ability to try the product on, this can lead to additional hassle as the item then has to be repackaged and sent back if it’s not right, and some companies have a returns charge.

Clothes shopping online can be difficult if the customer is unaware of the sizing measurements. We all know sizes vary from brand to brand so make sure your online customers can access a clear size guide easily.

As a self-confessed shopping addict a real problem that is apparent with online shopping is that it can encourage compulsive buying as the process is so easy, and it is not like you are spending real money as you’re only clicking a button (I’ve told this to myself many times), leading to many getting in debt. It is important to moderate your online shopping and not let it become a bad habit.

So what do you say? Do you love or hate online shopping? Let us know by leaving a comment in the box below or pay us a visit on our Eventure Facebook site.