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The Truth About Online Shopping and Its Environmental Impact

Global e-commerce has grown steadily over the past decade. The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the sector even more, triggering changes in consumer behaviour and leading to staggering records in sales. Big companies such as Amazon, Alibaba, and Walmart have monopolised online shopping and increased consumers’ expectations. Nowadays, they expect goods to be delivered on the same day and to return them without cost. Digitalisation and technological innovations have indeed allowed the industry to do what was believed to be impossible just a few decades ago. However, this revolution comes with high costs for our planet. We take a look at the growing trends in online shopping and its environmental impact. 

Modern Consumerism

We are living in a time when consumerism is at its finest. The digitalisation of modern life as well as new, innovative technologies have completely transformed the way in which people shop. In the past decade, the number of digital buyers has climbed at an unprecedented pace, turning e-commerce into a multibillion-dollar industry. Furthermore, since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, digital channels, which were already growing at a steady pace, have become by far the most popular shopping alternative for consumers around the world, sparking an extraordinary increase in online purchases. In June 2020, global retail e-commerce traffic reached a record 22 billion monthly visits and a staggering US$26.7 trillion in sales . 

By the end of this year, Asia is set to account for 50% of the world’s total online retail sales, most of which take place in China , currently the world’s leading country by retail e-commerce sales. Singles’ Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday are just a few examples of the initiatives that push consumers to buy more and more goods. During these shopping “events”, retailers that have monopolised the global economy such as Amazon, Walmart and Alibaba, as well as smaller companies that  are trying to keep up with this trend to stay afloat within the industry, deliberately and accurately orchestrate sales by pressuring people to purchase products under the spell of discounts and limited time. Even though this year these three events, which all take place in November, recorded enormous online sales worldwide and in China, where Singles’ Day – or ‘Double 11’ – has seen a record 540.3 billion yuan (US$84.4 billion) in sales, online traffic has dropped from 2020. Experts describe this drop as a consequence of a change in the consumers’ behaviour, as they have started buying their Christmas gifts much earlier in the season for fears about the supply chain . 

Indeed, over the past two years, major shipping companies have had a hard time keeping up with the demand and they have been struggling to deliver packages all over the world. The global supply chain is at a breaking point and, unless consumers change their shopping attitude and their expectations when buying online, the crisis is likely to reach a point of no return. And as much as big corporations are easily blamed for this crisis, consumers are equally responsible. 

There are three key differentiators that consumers seek when buying online: price, speed, and convenience. Amazon, the world’s leading online marketplace in terms of traffic, has found the perfect formula to satisfy all three of them, by training its customers into believing that free and fast shipping is something they should have, thus forcing smaller retailers to adopt the same strategy in order to keep up with giant competitors. While buying online was initially a way to find the best deals, with innovation and technology, e-commerce has turned into a fast machine conceived to satisfy more and more consumers’ demands and expectations. In September 2021, several industry groups representing over 65 million transport workers wrote an open letter to heads of state at the United Nations General Assembly, warning that, if this trend continues to grow at the same rate, global transport systems are going to collapse. 

You might also like: 7 Fast Fashion Companies Responsible for Environmental Pollution

The Issue of Over-Packaging

The online shopping addiction of modern consumers is not only leading the global supply chain to a point of no return, but it is also having a huge environmental impact with huge catastrophic consequences on our planet. Indeed, with the boom in online shopping came, not surprisingly, huge environmental issues. The effects can be seen worldwide. However, there is one country where the industry’s repercussions on the environment are particularly visible: China. The country’s e-commerce success is unmatched worldwide, with experts predicting that 52,1% of the country’s retail sales will come from online shopping in 2021 . The success is mainly attributed to China’s rapid evolution of the internet and the digitalisation of payment systems. However, as the country’s e-commerce is able to generate hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue from a single shopping day like Double 11, environmental groups warn consumers that this shopping extravaganza comes at a dramatic cost to the planet. 

Products’ packaging contributes in large part to CO2 emissions from producing plastics, polluting ecosystems as well as adding enormous amounts of waste to our landfills. 3 billion trees are pulped yearly to produce 241 million tons of shipping cartons, the forest conservation group Canopy found. And of the 86 million tons of plastic packaging produced globally each year, not even 14% is recycled . As for China, statistics from the State Post Bureau showed that the country’s courier handled 83 billion express parcels in 2020 alone, which accounted for 1.8 million tonnes of plastic waste and nearly 10 million tonnes of paper waste. In Hong Kong alone, 780 million pieces of packaging waste from online shopping was generated over the course of 2020, according to a recent study by the local group Green Sense . The study also showed that, on average, 2.18 pieces of packaging were used for each product in the same year, mostly consisting of mixed materials, which are hard to recycle. As space for landfills become scarcer, China is struggling to keep up with the growing e-commerce waste mountain. Companies such as Alibaba are thus developing more sustainable packaging, trying to reverse the trend while the Chinese government is taking steps to regulate packaging standards.

The Impact of Shipping Goods

Shipping emission is another online shopping environmental impact to consider. The transport of goods across the world is responsible for a huge portion of CO2 emissions generated by e-commerce. In 2020, the shipping and return of products accounted for 37% of the total GHG emissions . The major problem can be attributed, once again, to the consumers’ appetite for convenience. It is estimated that by 2030, the number of delivery vehicles will increase by 36%, reaching approximately 7.2 million vehicles. This will not only result in an increase of about 6 million tonnes of CO2 emissions, but it will also increase commutes by 21%, as vehicles will take longer to travel due to higher traffic congestion.

The real problem, however, lies in fast shipping. As new technologies improve the transport of goods and make it as fast as it had ever been before, more and more consumers request same-day and instant deliveries, two options that have been growing 36% and 17% annually , respectively. These two options, as the World Economic Forum reported, are particularly popular in China, making up more than 10% of the total amount of parcels being delivered each day, which are on average nearly 3 million. A study from MIT found that traditional shopping has two times the carbon footprint if compared to online shopping. This discourse, however, is valid only if one does not take the rushed online shopping into account. Indeed, when consumers opt for a fast delivery, the emissions far exceed those generated from in-person shopping. A major reason for this is that delivery companies cannot afford to wait for all products to arrive before shipping them out. When dealing with a one- or two-day shipping window, they are often forced to send out trucks that are filled at half their capacity, generating more traffic and thus emissions.

You might also like: How E-Commerce Companies are Making Online Shopping More Sustainable  

But shipping is not the only issue. As more and more online retailers, big and small, offer the option to send back goods easily and often for free, return rates, especially of fashion items, have skyrocketed, exceeding 30% of all purchased goods . A study on consumers’ behaviour showed that 79% of consumers want free return shipping and 92% of them are likely to buy again if the items they purchase are easy to return. It is statistics like these that incentivise companies to offer such options, as they will eventually be lucrative for them. 

There is little doubt that the e-commerce revolution has brought enormous advantages. However, online shopping and its environment impact must not be ignored. Nowadays, most consumers choose convenience over principles. And, as much as companies trying to become more and more sustainable is a good step in the right direction, these changes alone will not entirely solve the problem. Consumers are the ones that have the last word, and it is their behaviour and their decisions that eventually determine the impact of this industry. Thus, the only way to reverse the dangerous trend that e-commerce has taken, there needs to be a mind shift from both the producer’s as well as the consumer’s side.

Featured image by: Chris Watt

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Online shopping has boomed in the pandemic. But what about all the packaging?

With the holiday return season upon us, e-commerce packaging is at an all-time high.

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At a Cost Plus World Market in Oakland, California, masked shoppers are filing in with their holiday near-misses. They’re not just bringing back Ikat dinnerware and burlap wall art that didn’t quite hit the gifting mark, however. The Happy Returns “bar” within accepts unwanted items from digitally native brands like Eloquii, Everlane, and Rothy’s, which it refunds with a scan of a QR code.

Similar bars in malls, college campuses, and inside stores like World Market across the country are doing an equally brisk trade. Online return rates are three to four times higher than brick-and-mortar stores, David Sobie, the company’s co-founder and CEO, explains. And amid the pandemic, returns, like e-commerce, are surging like never before.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Happy Returns (@happyreturnsco)

As packages flood into homes, however, so does the packaging that keeps their contents intact. It’s something that people like Ayeshah Abuelhiga, founder of the Mason Dixie Biscuit Co. in Baltimore, constantly worries about. Packaging waste is a big part of why, save for a brief foray into online shopping in 2019, Abuelhiga has mostly resisted selling her frozen biscuits, scones, and rolls online. Shipping her products requires insulated containers, packed with dry ice and swaddled with bubble wrap, that are designed to keep the products from spoiling before they’re ready to pop into the oven. Another reason is the tacked-on costs of all that stuff made little financial sense.

“It didn’t seem like a good value proposition,” she says. “Consumers were just paying for dry ice and packaging.” Then Covid-19 hit. Suddenly, Abuelhiga says, her customers were complaining that they were stuck at home or that the physical stores in their neighborhoods didn’t have the items in stock. So in July, the Mason Dixie Biscuit Co. threw the “shop online” button back up. In a matter of weeks, Abuelhiga was fielding thousands of orders. As the holidays crept up and people splurged on variety packs with names like “Treat Yo Self” and “Miss You a Waffle-Lot” as gifts or for self-care, sales skyrocketed to $200,000 per month. “We’re doing about 350 percent growth,” she says. To manage the deluge, the company has increased its staff by five times, with three dedicated to just packaging orders.

Abuelhiga tries to minimize the amount of unsustainable packaging she uses. She employs space-efficient “eco liners” made with recyclable materials and encourages bundling to avoid the kind of ridiculously excessive “packaging fails” that are frequently memed on social media. But she admits all that waste keeps her up at night. “I don’t know how it doesn’t,” she says.

Mason Dixie Biscuit Co. is far from the only company grappling with this problem. With millions of people turning to online shopping for everything from groceries to toilet paper to sweatsuits, the pandemic has fundamentally altered the way people shop. Digital sales ballooned 71 percent in the second quarter of 2020 and 55 percent in the third, according to Salesforce, creating a wave of packages — and packaging — that is ultimately destined for the landfill, incinerator, or the larger environment.

Environmentalists were already bracing themselves for the glut of padded mailers, corrugated fiberboard, shrink wrap, and bouncy air pillows the rise in online shopping promised to leave in its wake. The pandemic has only accelerated the timeline. Corrugated box shipments have climbed since March, when they jumped 9 percent year over year, according to the Fiber Box Association. Technavio, a market research firm, estimates that demand for filled-air products is poised to swell by $1.16 billion between 2020 and 2024 because of the spike in online sales.

While paper packaging isn’t entirely benign — some 3 billion trees are pulped every year to produce 241 million tons of shipping cartons, cardboard mailers, void-fill wrappers, and other paper-based packaging, according to forest conservation group Canopy — single-use plastics present the bigger concern for environmentalists because they can persist in the environment, sometimes for hundreds of years. And their recyclability is often oversold. Currently, less than 14 percent of the nearly 86 million tons of plastic packaging produced globally each year is recycled. The vast majority is landfilled, incinerated , or left to pollute waterways and poison wildlife.

“The film and wrap that goes into bubble mailers aren’t something that most curbside recycling programs accept,” says David Pinsky, senior plastics campaigner at Greenpeace . “There’s also the question of contamination. If one of those bubble mailers, say from Amazon, gets to a Material Recovery Facility, it’s going to disrupt the automated machines and take away valuable time and money that can be focused on plastics with viable markets.”

Greenpeace recently sued Walmart, in fact, for violating California consumer protection laws with “false and misleading” labels about the recyclability of the Big Box store’s disposable plastic products and packaging. Most consumers in California, it says, lack access to facilities that are capable of segregating these products from the general waste stream to be recycled. With the dearth of end markets for turning these plastics into new items — China struck a body blow to the industry when it severely curtailed imports of certain recyclables, including most plastics, in 2019 — such products are “destined to end up in landfills or the natural environment.”

That’s not to say packaging doesn’t serve a purpose. It’s there because it does a really good job at protecting things, says Adam Gendell, associate director of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition , whose members include companies like 3M, Dow, and Georgia-Pacific Packaging.

There’s even a sustainability angle — sort of: The “embodied environmental investment” of a product, Gendell says, is usually several times greater than that of the package that surrounds it. In other words, replacing an Instant Pot because it arrives damaged is more expensive, environmentally speaking, than any attendant styrofoam or bubble wrap. For all its ills, plastic packaging is extremely lightweight, which cuts fuel consumption from transportation and ultimately reduces greenhouse-gas emissions, he says. It’s also ridiculously cheap. While sustainable packaging alternatives made from mushroom roots or cornstarch are well and good, they’re up against some steep competition without government intervention or significant buy-ins from boldface names.

Speaking of which, Amazon is a name that comes up frequently in the packaging discourse, and for good reason. It holds the largest share of US retail online sales at nearly 39 percent , according to eMarketer, with Walmart trailing at a distant No. 2 with 5.3 percent.

A recent study by Oceana found that Amazon generated 465 million pounds of plastic packaging waste in 2019. The number of air pillows alone, it said, could circle the globe 500 times. The environmental group further estimated that up to 22.44 million pounds of Amazon’s plastic packaging ended up in the world’s freshwater and marine ecosystems as pollution in the same year, or “roughly equivalent to a delivery van’s worth of plastic being dumped into major rivers, lakes, and the oceans every 70 minutes.”

“The amount of plastic waste generated by the company is staggering and growing at a frightening rate,” Matt Littlejohn, senior vice president at Oceana, says in a statement. “Our study found that the plastic packaging and waste generated by Amazon’s packages is mostly destined, not for recycling, but for the landfill, the incinerator, or the environment including, unfortunately, our waterways and sea, where plastic can harm marine life. It’s time for Amazon to listen to its customers, who, according to recent surveys want plastic-free alternatives, and make real commitments to reduce its plastic footprint.”

An Amazon spokesperson tells Vox, however, that Oceana has “dramatically miscalculated” its use of plastic and “exaggerated” it by over 350 percent. “We use about a quarter of the plastic packaging estimated by Oceana’s report,” the spokesperson says, noting that the company has reduced the weight of its outbound packaging by more than a third since 2015 and has eliminated nearly 1 million tons of packaging material.

Whatever Amazon’s plastic footprint in 2019, however, it was likely higher in 2020. The pandemic created boom times for the company, which reported net sales of $96.2 billion in the third quarter of 2020, a 37 percent increase from 2019. During the holiday season, the online giant delivered 1.5 billion toys, home products, beauty and personal care products, and electronics worldwide for what it called a “record-breaking” season .

Online shopping’s upward trajectory isn’t likely to reverse course any time soon. Experts predict this behavior will remain sticky even after the pandemic is contained. A survey of 2,000 American adults conducted by McKinsey & Company in November, for example, found a 40 percent net increase in intent among respondents to spend online post-Covid-19.

Plus, the stream of packages doesn’t go one way. Even before Christmas, retailers were bracing themselves for twice as many returns as they fielded last year, and not always in their original packaging, which could mean even more plastic and paper. Return rates are higher for online shopping, Happy Returns’ Sobie says, because of a practice called “bracketing” where customers essentially buy to try. Because people who buy clothes or shoes online aren’t able to try them on, they might buy multiple sizes and then return the ones that don’t fit. They might buy multiple versions of the same piece of clothing if they’re iffy about which color looks best based on a picture on a phone, then return the ones that look least attractive in natural light. “A lot of e-commerce purchases end up having returns kind of built into them, just based on the way people shop,” he says.

Rethinking the definition of packaging might be a way out of this morass, but current efforts remain niche and limited in their uptake. To reduce single-use materials, Happy Returns employs reusable containers to consolidate and bulk-ship box-free returns at its “return hubs” in California and Pennsylvania for sorting, processing, and routing to their final destinations. Startups like RePack and LimeLoop offer reusable shipping pouches for delivering online apparel orders. Asos, one of 400 businesses and governments that have pledged to reduce plastic waste as part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastic Economy Global Commitment , will be trialing reusable mailing bags at the start of the year.

Central pickup locations, such as Amazon lockers, could help curtail packaging waste, with the added advantage of reducing excess traffic on streets and double parking by trucks in residential areas, says Sarah M. Kaufman, associate director of the New York University Rudin Center for Transportation . Trucks tend to have visibility issues that make them less safe to operate in pedestrian-heavy environments, she says, noting the spiraling number of truck-related fatalities . “Because of Amazon, we’ve all expected shipping to be free everywhere we shop, but in fact the costs of shipping are quite high on a societal level,” Kaufman says.

She says, however, that the guilt of online shipping shouldn’t be yoked on the shoulders of consumers, particularly since staying home and limiting contact with other people is the best way of limiting spread of the virus. “Yes, we need to make a lot of changes to our consumerism, but we also have to have empathy for who is shopping online and why,” Kaufman says.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by REPACK - TRULY REUSABLE (@originalrepack)

Indeed, with the proper investments and will to act, corporations can figure this out.

Following India’s announcement that it would be phasing out single-use plastics, Amazon India managed to eliminate nonrecyclable plastic packaging from fulfillment centers in the country. In June, the company announced it had achieved a “100 percent successful transition” away from single-use plastics. Roughly 40 percent of Amazon’s orders in India, in fact, are shipped in their original boxes without an outer box or other packaging.

Amazon’s packaging and materials lab has also developed a lightweight paper mailer that could significantly reduce the company’s plastic footprint if used in place of plastic mailers, Oceana’s report noted.

The myth that plastic can be recycled or even effectively managed is just that — a myth, says Greenpeace’s Pinsky. “And of course we know that that’s not the case,” he says. “It’s intrinsically linked to the climate crisis. So we need to look for other options.”

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The pandemic has changed consumer behaviour forever - and online shopping looks set to stay

More and more consumers are ordering goods online. Image:  REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui

.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo{-webkit-transition:all 0.15s ease-out;transition:all 0.15s ease-out;cursor:pointer;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;outline:none;color:inherit;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:hover,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-hover]{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:focus,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-focus]{box-shadow:0 0 0 3px rgba(168,203,251,0.5);} Simon Torkington

.chakra .wef-9dduvl{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;font-size:1.25rem;}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-9dduvl{font-size:1.125rem;}} Explore and monitor how .chakra .wef-15eoq1r{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;font-size:1.25rem;color:#F7DB5E;}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-15eoq1r{font-size:1.125rem;}} Internet of Things is affecting economies, industries and global issues

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Stay up to date:, internet of things.

• Consumer shift to digital channels will remain after the pandemic -PwC report.
• Customer loyalty has plummeted, with buyers switching brands at unprecedented rates.
• The use of smartphones for online shopping has more than doubled since 2018.

Billions of people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic are driving a “historic and dramatic shift in consumer behaviour” – according to the latest research from PwC.

The consulting and accounting firm's June 2021 Global Consumer Insights Pulse Survey reports a strong shift to online shopping as people were first confined by lockdowns, and then many continued to work from home. Other trends in this shift towards digital consumption include online shoppers being keen to find the best price, choosing more healthy options and being more eco-friendly by shopping locally where possible.

Another significant finding from the report is that consumers do not think they’ll go back to their old ways of shopping once the pandemic is over.

A consumer pivot to digital and devices

More than 8,600 people across 22 territories took part in PwC’s survey. They were asked how often, in the past 12 months, they had bought clothes, books and electronics using a range of shopping channels.

Have you read?

Covid-19 pandemic accelerated shift to e-commerce by 5 years, new report says, these charts show how covid-19 has changed consumer spending around the world.

The chart below illustrates their answers, and shows a shift to digital and a growing trend for shopping using connected devices such as smartphones, tablets and smart voice assistants such as Amazon Echo, Google Home and Samsung SmartThings.

More than 50% of the global consumers responding to the June 2021 survey said they had used digital devices more frequently than they had six months earlier, when they had taken part in a prior PwC survey. The report also finds the use of smartphones for shopping has more than doubled since 2018.

COVID-19 has exposed digital inequities globally and exacerbated the digital divide. Most of the world lives in areas covered by a mobile broadband network, yet more than one-third (2.9 billion people) are still offline. Cost, not coverage, is the barrier to connectivity.

At The Davos Agenda 2021 , the World Economic Forum launched the EDISON Alliance , the first cross-sector alliance to accelerate digital inclusion and connect critical sectors of the economy.

Through the 1 Billion Lives Challenge , the EDISON Alliance aims to improve 1 billion lives globally through affordable and accessible digital solutions across healthcare, financial services and education by 2025.

Read more about the EDISON Alliance’s work in our Impact Story.

Medicines and groceries on demand

A survey of US consumers by McKinsey & Company gives a more detailed breakdown of the shift to digital shopping channels and the kinds of purchases consumers are making.

The survey found a 15-30% overall growth in consumers who made purchases online across a broad range of product categories. Many of the categories see a double-digit percentage growth in online shopping intent, led by over-the-counter medicines, groceries, household supplies and personal care products.

And McKinsey noted that “consumer intent to shop online [post-pandemic] continues to increase, especially in essentials and home-entertainment categories”.

A decline in brand loyalty

With consumers shopping from their sofas and home offices, another trend flagged up by McKinsey is a marked decline in brand loyalty.

In total, 75% of US consumers have tried a new shopping behaviour and over a third of them (36%) have tried a new product brand. In part, this trend has been driven by popular items being out of stock as supply chains became strained at the height of the pandemic. However, 73% of consumers who had tried a different brand said they would continue to seek out new brands in the future.

What is the World Economic Forum doing to manage emerging risks from COVID-19?

The first global pandemic in more than 100 years, COVID-19 has spread throughout the world at an unprecedented speed. At the time of writing, 4.5 million cases have been confirmed and more than 300,000 people have died due to the virus.

As countries seek to recover, some of the more long-term economic, business, environmental, societal and technological challenges and opportunities are just beginning to become visible.

To help all stakeholders – communities, governments, businesses and individuals understand the emerging risks and follow-on effects generated by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Economic Forum, in collaboration with Marsh and McLennan and Zurich Insurance Group, has launched its COVID-19 Risks Outlook: A Preliminary Mapping and its Implications - a companion for decision-makers, building on the Forum’s annual Global Risks Report.

Companies are invited to join the Forum’s work to help manage the identified emerging risks of COVID-19 across industries to shape a better future. Read the full COVID-19 Risks Outlook: A Preliminary Mapping and its Implications report here , and our impact story with further information.

Healthy, hygienic and sustainable

The trend towards online shopping has also seen consumers focus on staying healthy during long periods in lockdown. McKinsey notes a desire to reduce touchpoints to ensure greater hygiene with the shopping experience.

One enterprise in the US has tapped into these trends to provide a service for shopping online at a range of farm shops local to the buyer. To qualify for the FarmMatch scheme, farmers must grow their food using sustainable methods.

As the world navigates its way out of the pandemic, the way we all act as consumers has been changed fundamentally by COVID-19. The research points to this change becoming permanent, leaving retailers and manufacturers with the challenge of attracting and retaining consumers in an 'omnichannel' world, where customer loyalty is hard-won.

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The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

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Is Shopping Online Better For The Environment?

Before You Hit “Complete Order”

Stuck inside for the past year, many of us have embraced retail therapy from our couches. Online shopping was already on the rise when the pandemic hit, and according to a Bloomberg report, “stuff” has made a significant comeback. People are purchasing physical items, not experiences—and they are buying it all online.

“We’re seeing a shift in terms of what people are buying,” Rod Sides, a Deloitte vice chairman, told the news outlet last fall. “Folks are focused on the home and a little more decorating. Destination travel isn’t there, like it has been in the past.”

“Forbes predicts consumers will spend $4.8 trillion in e-retail sales this year.”

Even the reopening of businesses and mass vaccinations can’t stop us from clicking the “complete order” button. Forbes predicts consumers will spend $4.8 trillion in e-retail sales this year. That’s up from $2.8 trillion spent by 1.8 billion consumers in 2018.

If online shopping truly is the future of retail, what kind of environmental impact does it have?

How Do You Shop?

“Shopping online has, on average, a 60 percent lower carbon impact than shopping in-store,” boasts the Fashion Footprint Calculator , a tool launched by online secondhand retailer ThredUp last year. “Nearly 85 percent of in-store’s impact comes from driving there.”

This may be true, but only if everything goes according to plan. If customers are constantly shopping online and only purchasing a few items at a time, the environmental impact soars above that of in-person shopping.

“Frequent online purchases produce more packaging waste, and online items tend to come from different distribution centers,” explained Sadegh Shahmohammadi to CNN . A Ph.D. student in Environmental Science at Radboud University, Shahmohammadi is one of six researchers behind a 2020 study comparing the greenhouse gas footprint of online versus in-person retail shopping .

“Express shipping options put extra strain on the environment as well, prioritizing time efficiency over energy efficiency.”

“Both factors result in higher greenhouse gas emissions per item,” he said. This means that different items from one order can come from different places. An example of this is the one and only Amazon, which has nearly 200 fulfillment centers globally, and counting. Though it now offers the option of having items shipped together, customers have noted how the company often turns one order into several separate shipments—and with expedited shipping options at that.

Express shipping options put extra strain on the environment as well, prioritizing time efficiency over energy efficiency. In his Master Thesis for MIT, Environmental Analysis of US Online Shopping , Dimitri Weideli dubs frequent online shoppers as “cybernauts” and those who consistently purchase virtually and choose fast shipping options as “cybernaut impatient.” Weideli found a large discrepancy between the two: “The cybernaut’s carbon footprint was twice as small as a traditional shopper. However, the cybernaut impatient, who always opted for faster delivery regardless of when a van was in their area, almost tripled the impact of freight transportation.”

Then there is the element of returns. Unsure of what size you are? Want to see how that dress looks with your favorite pair of shoes? Return and exchange options are incredibly convenient—it’s fantastic to know that if something doesn’t fit or work with your wardrobe, you can get your money back, or at least exchange it for another product.

“Only 50 percent of returned garments are restocked by most retailers, with 25 percent of them ending up in landfills.”

However, only 50 percent of returned garments are restocked by most retailers, with 25 percent of them ending up in landfills. And, while six to eight percent of clothing items are returned from in-store purchases, 30 percent of online orders are sent back to retailers.

“One thing consumers should think about before purchasing (with intent to return) is that in personal care and beauty, we cannot turn around and sell a returned product because the chain of custody has been broken,” Ursa Major , a natural skincare brand, explained to us over email.

“Before the pandemic, the annual value of returned goods in the US had been estimated at nearly $400 billion,” stated Forbes in a recent analysis of how COVID has impacted online retail. The article goes on to cite recent reports that “consumers were expected to return $70.5 billion worth of goods purchased during the 2020 Christmas season alone.”

Finding a Fair Fix

What’s the answer to all of this? Small businesses such as LA-based HFS Collective seem to have found a happy medium. Though the average number of pieces in an online order is 1.25, the accessory brand is still setting an example by shipping everything from their office. The business is also committed to sustainable packaging, which further lowers its overall environmental impact.

“Businesses can benefit from vertical integration, which open up opportunities for increasingly environmental practices and ethical accountability.”

A hybrid model that encourages cluster purchases may also be key, writes Heather Farmborough for Forbes. “By getting customers to pick up their purchases from a store—a frequent occurrence in Sweden, for instance—a locker or a gas station, emissions can be reduced.”

Likewise, businesses can benefit from vertical integration principles, which open up opportunities for increasingly environmental practices and ethical accountability within retail spaces. While not an exact solution that works for every online brand, it’s a good place to start.

Finally, findings, such as those shared through ThredUp’s Fashion Footprint Calculator, can shed light on our shopping habits, but it’s essential to watch for greenwashing. Hyper-focus on the individual customer’s impact can deflect and distract from fashion’s overproduction problem.

It’s wonderful to consider all of the elements which come into play with shopping—online and in-person—when making a purchase, but don’t let it overwhelm you. Individual impact is only as important as the systemic change happening alongside it. We can’t lose the mountain for the molehill.

“Hyper-focus on the individual customer’s impact can deflect and distract from fashion’s overproduction problem.”

How To Consciously Shop Online

To contact brands, we recommend calling directly, using email, or reaching out over social media. Here’s an email template we recommend if you’re not sure where to start!

Ask brands where they ship from and how your order can best minimize items coming from multiple distribution centers.

Before ordering and banking on a possible return, find out what happens to your return once it’s sent back.

Opt for slower shipping instead of paying for speed.

Is the store local? Pick up your order instead and reach out to the brand if they don’t offer this service yet.

Choose less packaging when given the option and inquire about this if the possibility isn’t presented online.

Audrey Stanton  was born and raised in the Bay Area and is currently based in Los Angeles. She works as a freelance writer and content creator with a focus in sustainable fashion. Audrey is deeply passionate about conscious living and hopes to continue to spread awareness of ethical consumption.

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Environmental impact of online shopping

Online shopping may not be as green as you think. Here's how shopping online can have a surprisingly large carbon footprint.

Do the preparation task first. Then read the article and do the exercises.

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In the past few decades, the way we shop has changed dramatically. We used to buy our goods in traditional shops, on the high street or in department stores. Now, customers are increasingly buying online, where they can order whatever they want directly to their door with the click of a mouse. One in seven sales are now made online and studies suggest that by 2021, global online retail will reach an enormous US$4.8 trillion. As companies race to improve their internet shopping experience, the trend towards shopping online is predicted to continue.

But what is the impact of all this online shopping on the environment? You might think that online shopping is greener than in-store shopping. After all, an online store does not use the electricity that a traditional store might use and it doesn't require the customer to drive anywhere. Items are often delivered to several homes at once, so you would think the carbon savings must be significant. Take the typical home delivery round in the UK, for example. Supermarket drivers often do 120 deliveries on an 80-kilometre round, producing 20 kilograms of CO 2 in total. In contrast, a 21-kilometre drive to the store and back for one household would generate 24 times more CO 2 !

However, the reality is slightly more complex than that. Many home deliveries fail the first time and the driver has to make a second or third attempt to deliver the purchase. Customers who choose speedy delivery or those who buy single items from different places also contribute towards increasing the carbon footprint. 

The carbon footprint also goes up if the customer chooses to return the item. A study in Germany showed that as many as one in three online purchases are returned. According to another study, merchandise worth nearly US$326 million is returned each year in the USA. Two billion kilograms of this ends up in landfill, leading to 13 tonnes of CO 2 being released. 

Clothing is one product that has high return rates. Unlike in a walk-in store, the online shopper can't try things on before buying. So, companies offer free returns to make it easier for shoppers to purchase the same item of clothing in different sizes and colours. Customers try them at home, keep one and return the rest of them. However, when clothes are returned, they are not always cleaned and put back for sale. This is because many companies have found it cheaper to simply throw away the returned items than to pay someone to sort the damaged goods from the unwanted ones. In these cases, the returned clothes, which might be in perfect condition, end up in landfills or burnt.

When we take all these factors into consideration, we realise that online shopping isn't necessarily as green as people might think. That last kilometre to your door is costly, for companies and for the environment. There is some positive news, as various online retailers are starting to lower their carbon footprint by investing in electric delivery vehicles. However, the question of how to deal with returns efficiently and without waste is a challenge that many companies have not wanted to face. As online shoppers become aware of what companies are doing, and campaign groups demand urgent action in the face of the climate and ecological emergency, there is increasing pressure for companies to take responsibility for the environmental impact of their activities.

Do you shop online? How can online shopping's environmental impact be lessened?

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Online shopping has really caused an increase carbon emissions in the environment because of the high volume of transportation from the warehouse to the house. The trend of online shopping also is predicted to rise than ever because of the convenience it offer to the consumers.

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Yes, I do shop online sometime, mostly I go to store or mart because I don't like to return goods and I can't use it properly what I buy from online it doesn't fit me, or it is different from virtual. We can reduce the environmental impact shopping in store, but people are quite busy in these days, buying things from online, we don't need much time and we can save the time and if we don't like the goods, we can return therefore online shopping is more popular nowadays.

Can you tell me the meaning, the last kilometer to your door is costly?

Hi ginchan41,

The idea is that it's relatively cheap and environmentally friendly to deliver online shopping orders as a general idea (see the example of supermarket delivery drivers in paragraph 2). However, when the products reach the customer's home, the costs sometimes increase (see paragraphs 3 to 5 for the various reasons). That's the idea in this sentence. The 'last kilometre' shouldn't be understood literally but as representing the idea of the products reaching the customer or the customer's home, which may bring up additional costs.

I hope that helps.

The LearnEnglish Team

Jonathan, thanks so much. This is a really great site!

No problem. We're happy to hear that, thanks :)

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Unpacking online shopping’s environmental impacts

Online shopping is convenient and has some environmental benefits. But the planet is paying a hefty price for overconsumption, packaging, transportation, returns and disposability. (Photo: Karolina Grabowska via Pexels)

Online shopping has revolutionized buying habits. E-commerce connects customers and sellers worldwide. You can get anything from clothing to groceries and furniture at the click of a button, delivered right to your door. Online shopping’s convenience and accessibility can’t be denied. But it comes at a hefty environmental price.

The rise and dominance of online shopping.

Digitalization and advancement of innovative technologies have transformed the way people shop . They’ve had a huge influence on consumer behaviour and global culture.

In 1995, the founding of Amazon and eBay (formerly AuctionWeb) sparked the first online marketplace boom . Online shopping expanded in the early 2000s when big retailers such as Walmart came on board. Soon sellers (brick-and-mortar and online-only) invested heavily in e-commerce platforms. Online shopping continued to rapidly increase in the early 2010s with the rising popularity of smartphones. This drove more social media and influencer marketing, making it even easier for people to find and buy products fast.

The mandated lockdowns, social distancing protocols and safety concerns of the COVID-19 pandemic sped up the shift to online shopping. While brick-and-mortar retail sales dropped to record lows in Canada, e-commerce sales increased by 67.9 per cent from February 2020 to July 2020. Meanwhile, the world’s leading online marketplace, Amazon, broke records. It raked in $386 billion in revenue in 2020, an 86 per cent net profit increase.

Economic impact of online shopping in Canada

Canada has nearly 27 million digital buyers . They’re responsible for nearly $110 billion in online retail sales. Forecasts are that digital buyers in Canada will increase and hit 31.8 million by 2027 — nearly the entire population (38 million in 2023). That’s a lot of purchasing power. If used wisely, it can make a huge difference!

Online shopping may become almost unavoidable, but how we do it can help reduce its environmental impact.

Environmental impacts of online shopping

Online shopping has revolutionized consumer habits. It’s also influenced broader societal trends, including how people understand convenience, consumerism and the global economy. It continues to shape expectations, behaviours and interactions with commerce.

Overconsumption, packaging, transportation, returns and disposability are all part of the systems and culture of online shopping with environmental impacts. Can we find a balance between convenience and sustainability?

“When people buy less stuff, you get immediate drops in emissions, resource consumption and pollution, unlike anything we’ve achieved with green technology.” J.B. MacKinnon

Amazon: delivering climate change

Amazon’s formula of price, speed and convenience has dominated the global e-commerce marketplace. But the e-retailer’s success has exploited workers and the planet while driving up carbon emissions that cause climate disruption.

In 2021, Amazon generated 71.54 billion metric kilograms of carbon dioxide. That’s the amount 180 gas-fired power plants might pump out in a year — an 18 per cent increase from 2020. Its “Climate Pledge” allows the company to get away with misleading carbon accounting and fails to include emissions from manufacturing many products it sells.

The online giant was also investigated for destroying millions of unused or returned products . Whatever energy, water and materials used to produce and transport all that stuff ends up as waste.

The dark side of Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Every year, millions wait for annual online shopping events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday (and Boxing Day in Canada).

Black Friday and Cyber Monday follow American Thanksgiving. Two of the busiest, most lucrative online shopping days of the year, they kick off the swell of winter holiday season e-commerce sales. Retailers offer alluring deals, limited-time discounts and promises of swift deliveries.

“Time-bound” purchase incentives and the psychology of scarcity can perpetuate a false sense of urgency. That compels people to shop fast, without thinking through decisions. A University of Leeds study found that up to 80 per cent of Black Friday purchases end up in landfills, sometimes after just one use.

From runway to landfill

Fast fashion may glitter and gleam, but its environmental footprint is far from fabulous.

LEARN ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL COST OF FAST FASHION

Online shopping: a sustainability conundrum

Online shopping can boast some environmental benefits. But it’s complicated…

MIT researchers investigated consumers’ carbon emissions. They compared online shopping to brick-and-mortar stores. They simulated hundreds of thousands of scenarios and found that online shopping is a better option 75 per cent of the time. Simply put, one van delivering 100 packages is more efficient than 100 people driving to the store.

But their study focused on the final part of the supply chain, the “ last mile ” — the very last step of the delivery process. Say you’re in Canada and you order a linen blanket from an e-retailer in India. That package must travel from India to Canada, usually by air or sea freight to a Canadian port. It’s then sorted and either sent to another distribution centre or put onto a vehicle for home delivery. The second that blanket lands in the delivery vehicle, it’s on its “last mile.” This ignores the journey from its origin, which could be far, with immense emissions. China generates almost 50 per cent of the world’s e-commerce transactions, so most online purchases are travelling great distances.

To reap environmental benefits from online shopping, you must be diligent. Here are six pitfalls to avoid:

Six ways to lower your online shopping environmental impact

1. replace, not supplement.

Using online shopping to supplement your in-person routine adds extra vehicles to the road.

Say you drive to the supermarket to buy your week’s groceries. A preferred product isn’t available. Rather than choosing an in-store alternative, you buy it online. That’s two vehicle trips: one to the store by you and one for the online delivery to you.

Only use online shopping to replace not supplement in-store shopping . This reaps the environmental benefits of e-commerce while reducing unnecessary transportation emissions.

2. Transportation and delivery

From distribution centres and warehouses to doorsteps, transportation of online shopping purchases contributes to carbon emissions. These climb if a package comes from overseas and uses more than one mode of transportation.

To meet increasing demand, delivery companies are growing their fleets. It’s estimated that the number of delivery vehicles will increase by 36 per cent by 2030 — 7.6 million (mostly gas-powered) vehicles. This will increase carbon emissions by six billion kilograms and (because of more traffic congestion) lengthen commute times 21 per cent.

The faster you want your item delivered, the higher the environmental price. Ensuring fast delivery often uses airplanes. Transporting goods by air generates approximately 50 times more carbon emissions per kilometre than shipping by sea.

An MIT study found that in-store shopping has two times the carbon footprint when compared to online shopping. But this is only true when the shopper does not opt for fast delivery. When delivery companies are under a one-or two-day delivery window, they can’t wait for all products heading to the same destination to arrive before shipping them out. This forces them to send out trucks and planes not filled to capacity, increasing the carbon footprint of each item delivered.

• Shop ahead. Be patient. Choose slower delivery methods whenever possible. This helps retailers maximize efficiency by consolidating orders.
• Avoid failed delivery and extra trips. If you’re unsure you’ll be home at delivery time, have your package sent to the nearest post office.
• Group purchases. Order many things at the same time so everything gets boxed together. If ordering from an online marketplace that hosts a variety of sellers, package items together.
• Support companies that offset shipping emissions by investing in environmental or carbon-neutral projects.
• Reduce the distance items travel. Favour local businesses and locally sourced products.
• Support sustainable last mile delivery solutions, such as bike couriers and electric vans.
• Reduce placing more frequent orders. Buy products you can only get from online retailers in bulk.

3. Packaging

Cardboard, plastic bubble wrap and Styrofoam fillers are common single-use packaging materials. Sellers often use them in excess to reduce risk of damage during transportation and delivery. Multi-material multilayer plastic packaging has quickly become popular for its durability. But it’s difficult to recycle. A 2022 study said there will be no mainstream solutions for recycling multi-material multilayer plastic packaging in the next five to 10 years.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency , containers and packaging accounted for more than 80 billion kilograms of municipal solid waste in the U.S. in 2018, with e-commerce being a significant contributor. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation conducted a study that determined that of the 86 billion kilograms of plastic packaging produced globally each year, not even 14 per cent is recycled.

• Support companies that use minimal packaging and/or use eco-friendly packaging materials.
• Reuse, reclaim or recycle packaging whenever possible.

What kind of plastic can be recycled?

Plastic is everywhere. It’s hard to know what you can reuse, what you can recycle and what you can do to reduce your plastic consumption.

LEARN THE SEVEN CLASSIFICATIONS FOR PLASTICS

4. Returns and exchanges

A study by Deloitte found that shopping online leads to five times more returned products. About 40 per cent of online purchases are returned, compared to only seven per cent of products bought in-store. Returning products increases online shopping’s environmental impact.

Returning items involves shipping them back to the retailer’s distribution centre or store. This generates more transportation carbon emissions and packaging waste. To make matters worse, retailers can’t always resell returned items not in their original condition. With their packaging, this leads to more waste in landfills.

• Reduce returns arising from inaccurate expectations. Read all product information, including size, material composition and customer reviews.
• If an online purchase doesn’t suit you, re-sell it locally .
• If the product is defective or broken, ask the retailer if it has a local distribution centre you can take it to or an authorized local repair service that can fix it. Or seek repairs locally.
• Support sellers with recycling, reuse or take-back programs. ( Recycle e-waste appropriately .)

5. Overconsumption

Overconsumption is a primary driver of the environmental crisis . Online shopping’s extensive product variety, expert marketing campaigns, speed of delivery and sales promotions encourage impulse buying binges . Constantly changing trends create feelings of insatiability that compel people to buy more. Anticipation of a reward (i.e., package delivery) releases dopamine to the brain. One study showed that 76 per cent of Americans get more excited awaiting delivery of online purchases than from in-store immediate gratification. Both can lead to shopping addiction.

• Think before you click. Be mindful when shopping.
• Create shopping lists. Do thorough product research before buying.
• Lower your consumption in all areas of your life.
• Seek healthy dopamine alternatives (e.g., meditation, music, exercise, connecting with nature , etc.).

The consumerist, fossil fuel era must end!

We’ve been deceived into thinking that buying more stuff and driving everywhere is the way to happiness. It’s not. We need to get back to basics and learn to respect the natural forces on which our survival depends.

READ DAVID SUZUKI’S COLUMN

6. Disposability

Online shopping has worsened the cycle of buying, replacing and discarding. This contributes to a linear “take, make, waste” model that depletes land and water, creates waste, degrades nature, ignores justice and fails to ensure equity . We devour the planet’s gifts 1.7 times faster than it can regenerate. Play your part in dismantling single-use and disposability culture.

• Buy with longevity in mind. Choose products built to last. If unsure, read reviews.
• Find eco-friendly alternatives to single-use products you use regularly (e.g., floss , face masks, straws, etc.)
• Support brands that promote durability and repairability. If a component breaks, buy a replacement for that piece instead of a whole new product.
• Go zero waste and give up single-use plastics .

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Refresh your wardrobe for free. host a clothing swap, one way to trim your e-waste: recycle electronics.

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Band 9 Essay Samples | Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Shopping

by Manjusha Nambiar · Published December 2, 2014 · Updated April 23, 2024

Nowadays online shopping becomes more popular than in-store shopping. Is it a positive or a negative development? Give your reasons and examples.

Now that we can buy just about anything with a few mouse clicks from the comfort of our home, very few people actually feel the need to venture into brick and mortar stores. There is no denying the fact that online shopping has become more popular than in-store shopping. This trend has both positive and negative aspects.

The huge popularity of online shopping can be attributed to the fact that it makes shopping easier. It saves both time and money. Buyers no longer have to drive all the way to shops to buy things. Also, online stores tend to offer attractive prices probably because they have lower overhead costs. This allows them to sell items for deeply discounted prices. This can lead to major cost benefits for shoppers. In addition, online shopping makes it easy to buy things from any part of the world. Even if an item is not available in your country, you can buy it from online stores. Online shopping also allows you to compare prices before hitting the purchase button.

On the flip side, the ease of online shopping has made many people compulsive shoppers. Most of us spend lots of time on the internet every day. And while we are on the internet, we get bombarded with numerous advertisements. For a compulsive shopper, this is a good reason to splurge. The fact that online shopping encourages us to buy things that we do not need or use cannot be denied. This can lead to debts. Also, there are security concerns. When you buy things online, you run a small risk of getting your financial information exploited by hackers. Of course, good anti-virus and anti-malware programs can offer a great deal of protection. But almost every week, we hear about data breaches at major online retailers.

To conclude, online shopping has several advantages and disadvantages. However, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Of course, the shopper has to exercise some common sense and keep their device free of malware if they want to enjoy the benefits of online shopping.

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The Environmental Impact of Online Shopping: Essential Answer

Reading time min

By Anna Argyridou

Q: Is online shopping likely to save on carbon emissions or not? How do the carbon emissions compare between me driving a 15-mile round-trip to the bookstore versus the carbon emissions for Amazon to ship the book through their warehouse and UPS to me, including the extra packaging?

Asked by Dan Scales, MS ’86, PhD ’96, Mountain View, Calif.

Not such a long time ago, the idea of purchasing goods online was somewhat exotic. But online shopping has become firmly entrenched in American consumer culture. Ninety-four percent of Americans have made an online purchase, and nearly 30 percent of holiday shopping is done entirely online. I’m a big believer that shopping on the World Wide Web is generally secure and convenient, and enables consumers to find bargain prices on everything from books and electronics to groceries and clothing. I even bought my mattress online last year, and had it delivered right to my apartment.

Books are by far the most popular items purchased through the Internet. In just the past two years, the number of consumers buying books online rose by nearly 10 percent. Most patronize book “e-tailers” because of lower prices, but done right, online bookselling also has a smaller carbon footprint.

Like any good novel, the story of how a bookworm gets her book has a beginning, a middle and an end. A book destined for a brick-and-mortar store is printed, packed in bulk, transported by heavy-duty truck to a publisher’s warehouse, transferred to an intermediate warehouse or two, and delivered to the bookstore. Customers might then drive 15 or more miles round trip to purchase the exciting new title. A book sold online has a slightly different plot line: after arrival at the publisher’s warehouse, air or freight travel to a sorting center and individual repackaging, its dramatic finale is home delivery by light-duty truck.

Transportation is the biggest contributor to carbon emissions in both retail and e-tail product pathways. When purchasing a book from a bookstore, each household drives separately, but delivery trucks take purchases to many customers on a single route. There’s also a decent chance that the delivery truck is more fuel-efficient than your family sedan. UPS, for example, has invested millions of dollars in alternative fuel technologies, and as of 2008, its fleet included more than 10,000 low-emission, hydraulic, hydrogen fuel cell and electric vehicles.

When it comes to packaging, however, brick-and-mortar bookshops generally claim the environmental edge. Shrink-wrapping, padding and boxing each individual novella, as e-tailers do, is hardly going to maximize materials efficiency and minimize waste. (Walking to a used bookstore, or downloading an ebook, will do exactly that—but we haven’t been asked about those options yet!)

Both online and brick-and-mortar booksellers operate climate-controlled storage warehouses, but retailers usually own or lease additional storage and distribution facilities. Likewise, the energy consumed to browse and purchase books online is much less than that needed to build, light, heat, and cool physical bookstores. By streamlining the purchase and delivery process, e-tailers minimize the need for buildings and their associated energy usage.

But we haven’t turned the final page of our carbon emissions whodunit quite yet. Human behavior can provide a plot twist that strongly affects the environmental impact of online and real-world book purchases alike. Common sense applies: buying multiple books from the same seller results in fewer emissions than ordering one at a time, and of course walking or biking to the bookstore, or combining book purchases with other errands in the area, can draw down the carbon footprint of a bookstore visit. And while it may be tempting to overnight the latest Twilight installment, express shipping means air transport, and that could consume as much as five times the fuel used in ground delivery.

Ready for the postscript? Even the most technologically advanced of the literati might be satisfied with the contemporary public library. With many now equipped with Internet catalogs and special-order capabilities, libraries provide the ultimate low-emissions setting for reading happily ever after.

Anna Argyridou received her MS in environmental engineering and science in June 2009.

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Buying things on the Internet (Corrected essay)

Buying things on the Internet, such as books, air tickets and groceries, is becoming more and more popular. Do the advantages of shopping in this way outweigh the disadvantages?

WRITING   TASK  2

You   should   spend   about  40  minutes   on   this   task.

Write   about   the   following   topic.  

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write   at   least  250  words. 

---------------------------- 

Sample essay written by Nguyen Yen

In recent years, there has been a growing trend that people tend to buy things on the Internet. This present both pros and cos, however, in my opinion, its benefits are much more significant than the drawbacks.

In recent years, there has been a growing trend that people tend to buy things on the Internet in online shopping . This present both pros and cos cons , however, in my opinion, its benefits are much more significant than the drawbacks.

The phrase “buy things on the Internet” is already used in the essay topic. Try to shorten it by using a suitable buzzword, such as “online shopping”

Words such as 'people' and 'ideas' have the potential to be vague. So, avoid saying “people tend to” if possible.

The second sentence in the introduction has too many commas. Break it into two simple sentences if necessary.

On the one hand, shopping online online shopping brings to the consumers some disadvatages. Initially, since people are unable to touch or to see the products they want to buy in reality, it is always hard for them to examine the quality of these products. As a result, they might purchase the items with poor quality. In addition to that, as the consumers do not feel happy with the items they had bought online, they tend to abandon these products or dont do not use them at all. This is definitely a watse waste of money. Moreover, buyings thing on the Internet often makes people confused since there are a great number of shops on the Internet. To be specific, the buyers might see the same products in several shops, but the prices for these items can be very different, ranging from reasonable to prohibitedly expensive price . Consequently, they will not know which products they should purchase.

The second sentence is too wordy, due to the fact that the words “ people ”, “ they ”, and “ them ” all have been used despite being unnecessary. Since the main focus here is the products, not the people using them, I suggest rewriting the whole sentence into passive voice .

Avoid using contraction (“ don’t ”) in an academic context.

The ideas and sentence structures being used here are kinda repetitive. Regarding of online shopping, there are many issues that are worth mentioning ( shipment delays, misleading online marketing, annoying advertises, etc)

On the other hand, I am of the opinion that shopping online online shopping brings people a number of benefits. First, shopping online online shopping allows the consumers to browse for products and checking comparing the prices between these online shops. In this way, people can make a better decision to buy what they like after taking prices, sizes and models of the products into consideration. To speak From my experience, I used to buy an elegant dress es at virtual shop s , which was cheaper compared to that of some shops near my houses. Second, buyings things on the Internet helps people save a great deal of time. That is to say, since people nowadays are often so caught up with work and study, shopping online online shopping is a wise choice which doesn’t does not require them to go the the stores. With a click of mouse With just a click , they can buy the things they need and the shippers will deliver their products to the customers as soon as possible. Third, since there is a high demand of buying things online, many people can realize their dream of starting up their own business and achieve success in the long rub run. This can be seen as a positive trend because it creates good job opportunities for the people and thereby help people to improve their income and well-being. This also contributes to boost ing the economy of a nation in general l .

While the second body paragraph is very long (216 words!), its quaility doesn’t appear much better than the first one. Try to write only 70 words, you will definitely see an improvement.

Many idioms are introduced in this paragraph: “a great deal of time”, “in the long run”, “to be caught up”, “to take in consideration”, “with just a click”. However, the attempt to use them isn’t really succesful, due to some spelling mistakes.

The vocabulary is kinda limitted here. However, there are a variety of connectives (“on the one hand”, , “first”, “in this way”, “thereby”, etc).

In conclusion, although buyings things on the Internet exerts some adverse aspects, the advantages can justify these.

Too short and unconvincing. Need to give more emphasis.

Words: 418 words

Overall: 6.5

Task Response: 7

✓ addresses all parts of the task (the essay has answer the required question, and write more than 250 words) ✓ presents a clear position throughout the response ✓ presents, extends and supports main ideas, but there may be a tendency to overgeneralise and/or supporting ideas may lack focus

Coherence and Cohesion: 7

✓ logically organises information and ideas; there is clear progression throughout ✓ uses a range of cohesive devices appropriately although there may be some under-/over-use ✓ presents a clear central topic within each paragraph

Lexical Resource: 6

✓ uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task ✓ attempts to use less common vocabulary but with some inaccuracy (the writer uses very few topic-related words. And when they are used, mistakes are presented “shopping online” ) ✓ makes some errors in spelling and/or word formation, but they do not impede communication

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: 6

✓ uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms ✓ makes some errors in grammar and punctuation but they rarely reduce communication (lots of the article “the” are missing, so I cannot give a 7 score here)

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This essay is corrected by  Anh Tran  -   Let's Write Something Group .

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Other sample essay

With the advent of technological advancement, 21st century has witnessed a boom in e-commerce. The number of online shopping websites is increasing exponentially. Shopping online has its upsides and downsides but the positives of this technological blessing far outweighs its negatives.

Firstly, online shopping saves one from travel and traffic problems. I live in the outskirts of Karachi and commuting to the city for buying stuff is not an easy task for me. Further, Karachi is an overly-populated city with the worst traffic situation, all this makes it more difficult to travel. This problem is hugely resolved by the e-buying facility. Everything is simply a click away, whether it is groceries, air tickets, clothes or books. Whatever I order is duly received at my doorstep, without my having to embark on long, hectic shopping-trips.

Secondly, buying things on the internet provides you with a wide range of options. Consider yourself in a gigantic super-mart having access to every type of item you can imagine! On the internet there is no physical space limitation, therefore the variety available for a single item is endless. Also, there are countless websites where you can compare product prices, specifications, extra features, deals and a lot more. One such website is Compare.Pk, where you can select an item and compare it with similar items of other brands for specifications and prices. All this not only provides convenience to customers but also exposes them to a very huge market for buying the most appropriate item.

In conclusion, it can be unambiguously agreed upon that the advancement in e-buying has resulted in convenience for buyers. One only has to select and order an item and it arrives at his doorstep. Also, the available options for a single commodity are endless, so that a person can compare and buy the best.

(Written by Narmeen Habib )

Corrected Essay:

With the advent of technological advancement, 21st century has witnessed a boom in e-commerce the number of online shopping websites is increasing exponentially. Shopping online has its upsides and downsides but the positives of this technological blessing far outweighs its negatives .   The positive impacts on online shopping undermine its negative sides because the advanced technology can save our time and give more options for purchasing .

The opening paragraph does not contain a clear thesis statement. It is important to tell what you are going to talk about and where you are positioning on the views.

Phrases ‘ a boom in e commerce’ and ‘ is increasing exponentially’ have similar meaning. It is better to keep it in short, but clear sentence.

Firstly, online shopping saves one from travel and traffic problems. Online shopping does not require people to travel . I live in the outskirts of Karachi and commuting to the city for buying stuff is not an easy task for me. Further, Karachi is an overly-populated city with the worst traffic situation, all this makes it more difficult to travel.   As living in Karachi, an over-populated city with its congestion problems, many citizens like me have to overcome difficult situation only for buying stuff in the city centre .  This problem is hugely resolved by the e-buying facility. Everything is simply a click away, whether it is groceries, air tickets, clothes or books. Whatever I order is duly received at my doorstep, without my having to embark on long, hectic shopping-trips .   This platform enables consumers to experience shopping activities in simple ways. Take the biggest e-commerce in the word, eBay which provides wide varieties of products, for example. As a student, I often ordered books, air tickets, and fashion items. Likewise, many housewives in my neighbourhood prefer to purchase groceries through this website. If eBay was never exist before, buyers like us might have to spend longer times taking long trips to get our shopping lists. This example tells about how an effective shopping is advantageous as a time saver.

Firstly is ommited as the topic sentence is not too clear enough to represent the main idea.

The use of ‘I’ in your example does not cover people’ problems in general, so I have changed ‘I’ into ‘ many citizen like me’

Everything is simply a click away needs to be elaborated . Please see the changes.

You only mention groceries, air tickets, clothes or books without giving explanation. If you want to score higher, it is your task to present your ideas in details. I have made some detailed explanations with this.

Secondly, Another benefit is that buying things items on the internet serves unlimited choices provides you with a wide range of options . Consider yourself in a gigantic super-mart having access to every type of item you can imagine! On the internet there is no physical space limitation, therefore the variety available for a single item is endless. Also, there are countless websites where you can compare product prices, specifications, extra features, and deals and a lot more . One such website is Compare.Pk, where you can select an item and compare it with similar items of other brands for specifications and prices. All this not only provides convenience to customers but also exposes them to a very huge market for buying the most appropriate item.

You need to link both main ideas in the first sentence using transitional phrase. But remember, reliance too much on this will score you lower. Use them when necessary .

The word ‘ things’ is a weak lexical resource. It is better to use some alternative vocabs like stuff, items, daily needs , etc.

A wide range of options have been mentioned in the intro, you need to paraphase it. Serves unlimited choices.

You do not need to use exclamation mark. Present your sentence in a smooth way.

Consider yourself in a gigantic super-mart having access to every type of item you can imagine!. This sentence also does not make a sense.

And a lot more is vague. You’d better omit this phrase.

In conclusion, it can be unambiguously agreed upon it is true that the advancement in e-buying has resulted in convenience for buyers. One only has to select and order an item and it arrives at his doorstep. Also, the available options for a single commodity are endless, so that a person can compare and buy the best.

You have to summarise your main points and reiterate your opinion. Some ideas presented are sidetrack.

Your opinion does not state your opinion clearly.

It can be unambiguously agreed upon is counted as 6 words. It is always good to be succinct and keep straight to the point.  

Let me give you an example of this: In conclusion, the disadvantages of e-commerce trend are overshadowed by the benefits resulting from modern technology. I am convinced that online shopping is one of great innovations of people doing transaction as it reduces time and provides more options.

Overall: 7.0

·         Task Response: 7

✓ addresses all parts of the task (the author wrote 303 words)

✗ presents a clear position throughout the response (the way you present your idea in the intro is too generic)

✓ presents, extends and supports main ideas, but there may be a tendency to overgeneralise and/or supporting ideas may lack focus

·         Coherence and Cohesion: 6

✓ arranges information and ideas coherently and there is a clear overall progression

✓ uses cohesive devices effectively, but cohesion within and/or between sentences may be faulty or mechanical

✓ may not always use referencing clearly or appropriately

✗  uses paragraphing, but not always logically ( missing links between intro and conclusion)

Lexical Resource: 7

✓ uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision

✓ uses less common lexical items with some awareness of style and collocation

✓ may produce occasional errors in word choice, spelling and/or word formation

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: 7

✓ uses a variety of complex structures

✓ has produces frequent error-free sentences

✓ has good control of grammar and punctuation but may make a few errors

 -----------------------

This essay is corrected by  Eddy Suaib .

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Home — Essay Samples — Business — Online Shopping — Advantages of Online Shopping

Advantages of Online Shopping

• Categories: Online Shopping Shopping

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Published: Sep 25, 2018

Words: 758 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

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Ask NYT Climate

Is Online Shopping Bad for the Planet?

In theory, getting deliveries can be more efficient than driving to the store. But you may still want to think before you add to cart.

Credit... Naomi Anderson-Subryan

Supported by

By Dionne Searcey

Dionne Searcey is part of a rotating cast of Climate reporters and special guest writers who will answer your burning climate questions.

• Published April 22, 2024 Updated April 29, 2024

Q: How much do I need to worry about the impact of my online shopping?

The convenience of online shopping is hard to beat. But it uses a lot of energy and resources and can lead to more waste.

Transportation needed for online shopping spews greenhouse emissions. Three billion trees are cut down every year to produce packaging for all kinds of things, e-commerce included, according to some estimates . The data centers needed to store and retrieve orders consume about 10 times the amount of energy of a typical home and gulp precious groundwater for cooling.

Sounds bad, right? Read on.

Online shopping isn’t always the worst choice. Efficiency is a big factor.

Think of it like this: A single truck delivering orders to several homes could be less of a drain on the environment than several shoppers hopping in cars to drive to stores. That’s especially true if people group their purchases into less-frequent deliveries.

One study from M.I.T . even found that online shopping could be more sustainable than traditional shopping in more than 75 percent of scenarios that researchers came up with. Those scenarios imagined things like an online shopping experience with all-electric shipping and reduced packaging.

Online retailers and delivery companies have been trying to make online shopping more climate friendly. Some have embraced electric vehicles.

Amazon.com, for instance, has pledged to have 100,000 electric delivery vehicles on the road by 2030, a move that it says will prevent millions of metric tons of planet-warming carbon from being released into the atmosphere. UPS has plans for updating its fleet with electric vehicles, but those plans hit a snag when the company it had contracted to provide the new trucks ran into financial problems . FedEx plans to make half its purchases for its pickup and delivery fleet E.V.s by next year, and to have the fleet fully electrified by 2040 .

Some companies are also experimenting with robot and drone deliveries . But there are other things to consider.

Packaging and waste are also important.

Companies like Amazon have also started to cut back on packaging, which in the early days of online shopping produced laughable mountains of boxes, Bubble Wrap and other padding for tiny items. It still happens from time to time now , even with the effort to reduce. Some companies have begun using more reusable, recyclable and even biodegradable packaging. But millions of pounds of plastic from packaging still end up in rivers, oceans and landfills.

Maybe the biggest thing: How much stuff we buy.

So, it’s complicated. But there’s one foolproof thing you can do for the planet and for your bank account: Buy less stuff.

The production and use of household goods and services are responsible for 60 percent of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, one 2015 study found . In the United States, more than 20 percent of emissions are directly attributed to household consumption, according to researchers at the University of Michigan .

Many of those lamps, toasters, sweaters and other items are imported, arriving in the United States on carbon-emitting cargo ships or airplanes. The shipping industry alone accounts for 3 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Things to try: Buying in bulk, slow shopping and bundling orders.

Climate organizations encourage buying secondhand items or fixing the broken things you already own. An increasing number of companies offer repair services, sometimes for free. YouTube videos offer step-by-step guides for fixing a surprising number of items. Local meet-ups for mending clothing or repairing appliances are becoming a thing.

If you are going to buy stuff online, there are many ways you can make your online shopping more sustainable.

Take a minute to look at size charts and read reviews to cut back on returns. Many studies say online shoppers are five times more likely to return an item, which means a lot more transportation emissions.

If you’re ordering several items, try to group your orders into one shipment. Many companies will ask if you want to do so; don’t forget to seek out that option. The Better Business Bureau suggests buying in bulk to cut down on packaging for individual items and taking advantage of delivery to pickup locations.

Practice slow shopping . Pause and think about whether you need an item. It’s easy to get a rush from buying something new, but environmentalists suggest getting your dopamine fix from something entirely different: Try taking a walk instead.

Have a question for reporters covering climate and the environment?

We might answer your question in a future column. We won’t publish your submission without contacting you, and may use your contact information to follow up with you.

An earlier version of this article described incorrectly FedEx’s plans to convert its pickup and delivery fleet. The company plans to make half its purchases for the fleet E.V.s by next year, it does not plan to convert half its fleet to E.V.s by next year.

How we handle corrections

Dionne Searcey is a Times reporter who writes about how the choices made by people and corporations affect the future of the planet. More about Dionne Searcey

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Essay on Online Shopping

Students are often asked to write an essay on Online Shopping in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Online Shopping

Introduction to online shopping.

Online shopping is a popular way to buy goods and services. It involves using the internet to visit websites of stores and buying items digitally.

Benefits of Online Shopping

Online shopping has many advantages. It’s convenient, as you can shop anytime, anywhere. It also offers a wider variety of products than physical stores.

Disadvantages of Online Shopping

Despite its benefits, online shopping has downsides. There’s the risk of fraud, and you can’t physically check the product before buying.

Online shopping is a significant part of our lives. It’s important to be aware of its pros and cons to shop wisely.

Also check:

• Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Shopping
• Speech on Online Shopping

250 Words Essay on Online Shopping

Introduction.

Online shopping, a digital revolution, has transformed the traditional shopping experience. It provides a platform where consumers can purchase goods and services from the comfort of their homes, eliminating geographical boundaries.

Convenience and Variety

One of the primary advantages of online shopping is the convenience it offers. Consumers can shop at any time, from anywhere, without the need to queue in stores. Additionally, it provides a wide variety of products, from electronics to groceries, all under one digital roof.

Price Comparison and Reviews

Online shopping platforms allow consumers to compare prices and read product reviews before making a purchase. This transparency fosters informed decision-making, leading to enhanced customer satisfaction.

Economic and Environmental Impact

E-commerce has significant economic implications. It has created a global marketplace, boosting competition, and driving down prices. However, it also poses challenges to small, local businesses. Environmentally, while it reduces the carbon footprint associated with physical shopping trips, it increases packaging waste and carbon emissions from delivery vehicles.

Security Concerns

Despite its numerous benefits, online shopping is not without risks. Cybersecurity threats, such as identity theft and fraud, are significant concerns. Therefore, it’s crucial for consumers to shop on secure websites and avoid sharing sensitive information.

In conclusion, online shopping has revolutionized the retail landscape, offering convenience, variety, and transparency. However, consumers must be vigilant about cybersecurity threats. As the digital age progresses, it’s crucial to find a balance between the convenience of online shopping and its economic, environmental, and security implications.

500 Words Essay on Online Shopping

Online shopping, a term synonymous with the digital age, has revolutionized the way consumers interact with the marketplace. It denotes the act of purchasing products or services over the Internet, a practice that has seen exponential growth due to technological advancements and changing consumer behavior.

The Evolution of Online Shopping

The genesis of online shopping can be traced back to the 1990s with the advent of the World Wide Web. The first secure retail transaction over the Web was either by NetMarket or Internet Shopping Network in 1994. Today, it has evolved into a multi-billion dollar industry, with companies like Amazon, Alibaba, and eBay leading the charge. This evolution has been catalyzed by the proliferation of smartphones and high-speed internet access, making online shopping a convenient and time-saving activity.

Advantages of Online Shopping

Online shopping offers numerous advantages. Firstly, it provides consumers with a wider range of products than traditional brick-and-mortar stores. This is because online stores are not limited by physical space, allowing them to offer a more diverse selection of goods.

Secondly, online shopping allows for price comparisons. Consumers can compare prices from different online stores to ensure they are getting the best deal. This is a significant advantage over traditional shopping, where price comparison is more time-consuming and less efficient.

Lastly, online shopping offers unparalleled convenience. Consumers can shop from the comfort of their homes at any time, thus eliminating the need to travel, saving both time and energy.

Challenges of Online Shopping

Despite its numerous advantages, online shopping is not without its challenges. The most significant of these is the lack of physical interaction with the product before purchase. This can lead to dissatisfaction if the product does not meet the consumer’s expectations upon delivery.

Additionally, online shopping is susceptible to cybercrime. Consumers’ personal and financial information can be at risk if the online store’s security systems are not robust enough.

The Future of Online Shopping

The future of online shopping looks promising, with advancements in technology poised to further enhance the online shopping experience. For instance, augmented reality (AR) is expected to play a significant role in online shopping, allowing consumers to virtually try on products before purchasing them.

Furthermore, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) will enable more personalized shopping experiences. AI can analyze consumers’ shopping habits and preferences to provide tailored product recommendations.

In conclusion, online shopping has transformed the retail landscape, offering consumers unparalleled convenience and a wide range of products. While it does pose certain challenges, the continuous advancements in technology promise to mitigate these issues and enhance the overall online shopping experience. As we move further into the digital age, online shopping will continue to evolve and shape consumer behavior.

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Home Essay Examples Business Online Shopping

Online Shopping: Advantages And Disadvantages

• Category Business
• Subcategory Industry
• Topic Online Shopping

Technology advances definitely make our life easier and more convenient. With the help of the Internet, people can do a lot of things without going out, like paying bills, watching movies, study online and so on. Among those, the most attractive one for people is doing shopping online. While online shopping does have many advantages, does it really mean that the traditional shopping will stop its existence?

Perhaps the greatest benefit of online shopping is its convenience and saving time: no standing in long lines at the cash register any more. With online shopping, a person logs onto the Internet, visits the store’s website, and chooses the items she desires. The items are held in a virtual shopping cart until she is ready to make her purchase. The shopper can remain in her pajamas as she does her shopping, and the process can be conducted in the wee hours of the morning or late into the night. Online stores never close – they’re open 24 hours a day. Many people choose shopping online also because they can’t stand that crowded and noisy environment. Moreover, online shopping gives you a possibility to conduct price comparisons from one website to another. This gives you freedom to determine which online store offers the most affordable item you are going to buy, so it saves your money.

Our writers can write you a new plagiarism-free essay on any topic

However, doing shopping online is not always a perfect thing, it also has disadvantages. It seems easy and quick, but there’s always a trap online. If you are careless, it will bring you some troubles. For example, if you order something, at the moment you get the item, you may find that the color is different from what you saw online, or the size is either too small or too big because it is not available to try on before ordering, or the material is not what you want. Online stores are only showing product description and photos of the merchandise, which can be a disadvantage for many online shoppers. Second is diminished instant satisfaction. Unlike buying at retail stores, you are able to use the product instantly after you buy it, which can be satisfying. However, online shopping requires patience to wait for the item to arrive at your doorstep about 2 to 3 days or even longer depending on the location you’ve ordered it from.

In conclusion, online shopping is offering convenience as well as disadvantages, but all things considered, I believe that their influence is beneficial, if we are careful when choosing and trading online.

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Online Shopping Essay

500+ words online shopping essay.

The trend of online shopping has increased in recent times with the increase of e-commerce and digital technology. With just a single click, you can shop for everything by sitting at your home as per your choice, convenience and budget. This essay on online shopping will help students learn about the pros and cons of online shopping. We have also compiled a list of CBSE Essays on different topics to help them improve their essay-writing skills. These essays will also help them improve their scores on the English exam.

What Does Online Shopping Mean?

Online shopping is the activity of buying products and services over the internet using a web browser or mobile app. It means buyers have to go online to reach a seller’s website and then select the product they want to purchase. The buyer can pay for the goods and services either online with a credit or debit card or upon delivery. Online shopping sites are also known by many other names such as e-shop, e-web-store, e-store, internet shop, web-store, web-shop, virtual store and online store. An online shop creates a physical analogy for buying products or services. Some of the famous online retailing corporations which facilitate the experience of online shopping are Amazon, eBay, Flipkart, Myntra, etc.

Online shopping is a growing area of the digital world and technology. Establishing a store on the Internet gives various options to consumers. With the growth of online shopping, most businesses have started selling their products online. Now, just having physical stores is not enough in this fast-paced world. Having online store interfaces for consumers has also become essential for running a business in the current scenario.

Benefits of Online Shopping

There are numerous advantages of online shopping. People feel more convenient while shopping online. They can shop from anywhere at their own convenient time through easy and safe payment methods. Online shopping has empowered consumers with various advantages such as convenience and time-saving, lower search costs, better product selection, lower prices, etc. One of the biggest benefits of online shopping is that you can buy the items you want with just a single click. Online stores are open 24 hours a day and are accessible from any location with an internet connection.

Online stores carry more variations and provide more varieties of a product as compared to traditional stores. This is because online stores don’t need to attractively display their items on shelves, and they can keep a larger amount of inventory on hand. They might also have small amounts of each item since they don’t need to display them and can order more from their supplier as needed.

Online shops tend to provide more information about items for sale than you would get in a physical store. Product descriptions most often include a description from the manufacturer, another description from the vendor, specific technical and size details, reviews from professional magazines and journals, and reviews from people who have bought the product. Having all this information available when you are considering a purchase makes you a more informed consumer without having to perform extra research by yourself.

Online stores are not burdened by the costs of running a physical store, such as the rent of the physical premises and wages of sales staff. The cost savings by online stores lead to lower pricing on the internet, passing on cost savings to shoppers. The internet encourages online vendors to compete with one another by lowering prices.

Disadvantages of Online Shopping

The benefits of shopping online also come with potential risks and dangers. When you shop online, you can’t touch or try out the product. You have to depend upon product pictures only. You can’t buy the product instantly. If you don’t get the product in hand immediately after payment, you have to wait for delivery, which can take days to weeks. There is no guarantee that you will get the product in its original shape; it might get damaged on the way. Sometimes, the product is very different from the pictures and description due to various reasons and also has poor quality. If, after receiving the package, expectations weren’t met, you need to go through a returns process which can be time-consuming. Apart from these, there is also a chance of security threats from online shopping. If the site is not secured, you have a risk of losing your card information.

Online shopping is one of the convenient ways of purchasing different products. However, there are some products which are better if they are purchased from physical stores. So, in the future, we can expect online stores to improve their technology, making way for a much easier and faster shopping experience.

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Essay on Online Shopping Advantages and Disadvantages

Essay on online shopping for students and children . In this article, ‘ Online Shopping Essay ‘ students will read the meaning , advantages and disadvantages of online shopping . A Paragraph on precautions during online shopping must be understood carefully to escape online fraud.

Meaning of Online Shopping

In our childhood stories, we were told that Santa used to deliver gifts to kids to fulfil their wishes. Nobody imagined that this could happen in real life also. But modern science has made it possible in today’s world. This is known by various names like digital shopping, online shopping, e-commerce, online purchasing, internet shopping etc. It is exactly like our routine shopping except that here the buyer does not visit the shopkeeper’s place. Rather the full store is sent to the buyer on his laptop or mobile phone through a website .

History of Online Shopping

The first secure online transaction was done in the year 1994. Immediately after that in 1995 Amazon and e-bay launched their shopping sites. Amazon.com, e-bay, Flipkart, Paytm Mall, Snapdeal, Myntra, Jabong.com, Bigbasket.com, Urbanclap, and Yebhi.com are the names of famous online shopping portals. With the availability of smartphones and cheaper internet packages, online shopping has taken a place in everyone’s life.

What Can You Buy Online

A large number of people buy almost everything from groceries to gold on the internet. One needs just basic knowledge to operate a cell phone and he/she can enjoy shopping while sitting at home. Earlier people were afraid of losing their money for paying for an article that they were not viewing physically. But the option of cash on delivery has done away with that fear. An option of EMI (equated monthly instalments) that is to pay in smaller instalments is also available at most of the shopping sites. People who can’t pay the full price of the product in one go can still buy the product through an online EMI scheme. Besides buying goods we can buy online services also. For example, the services of beauticians, plumbers, electricians, and home-maids can also be arranged online through various sites. It is so easy that even kids can shop online.

Online Shopping by Mobile Apps

Nowadays all the e-commerce sites have launched their mobile apps to make it even easier. Open the app, click on the items that you wish to buy and proceed to checkout and shopping is done. The day and date of delivery will be mentioned there. The most interesting part is that change and return options are also available here like our physical shopping. With each and every passing day, more buyers are getting attracted to online purchasing because it has a long list of benefits.

Advantages Of Online Shopping | Pros of Online Shopping

• gives access to a wide variety of products, prices and features compared with similar products.
• saves time and we can devote our time towards more productive causes.
• saves fuel and becomes the reason for less pollution and traffic jam.
• We need not wait for our weekly off because online stores are 24 hours open.
• We can read the reviews of a product if there is any doubt regarding its quality.
• Goods are relatively cheaper at online stores because their maintenance expenses are almost negligible.
• Online shopping companies offer their customers ample deals to sell their products like offering cash backs, lucky draws, festive sales, huge discounts and whatnot!
• Big celebrities are often seen doing advertisements on these shopping sites to attract customers.
• The buyer can choose from the goods and services available on the website and get them delivered directly to his/her place after making the payment. Or one can choose ‘the cash-on-delivery (COD) option.
• People can buy in the wee hours, that is, even after midnight.

There are many advantages of online shopping but as every coin has two sides, online shopping is no exception. It has some disadvantages also, which are discussed below:

Disadvantages of Online Shopping | Cons of Online Shopping

A few people might experience the following disadvantages of online shopping which spoil their fun and comfort of online shopping. But, certain precautions and vigilant behaviour are a prerequisite to fully exploring the horizon of internet shopping.

• Cases of delivering damaged products are reported.
• Shipping problems delayed deliveries and high delivery charges
• fraudulent payments and hacking of personal information
• No salesperson to help while selecting
• Online buying does not let small and local shopkeepers come on upfront. Big business houses are taking away their portion of sales through online buying.

Precautions Before Online Shopping

By following certain precautionary steps one can avoid these disadvantages of online shopping. Always buy from trusted websites, read reviews and users’ comments from various sites, and read product features and return policies thoroughly. It is evident now that the positive side overshadows the negative side. Happy online shopping.

Please let us know if this  Essay on Online Shopping  helped in your studies. You can share your self-written essays with us. We encourage young writers by publishing their content for free. Can you suggest more advantages and disadvantages of online shopping ?

Online Shopping Essay (Word-Meaning)

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Essay 60 – Online shopping will lead to all shops closing

Gt writing task 2 / essay sample # 60.

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

The growth of online shopping will one day lead to all shops in towns and cities closing.

Do you agree or disagree?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

Model Answer: [Partial Agreement]

In this age of transformation, the widespread use of e-commerce triggers a heated debate- ‘whether it will lead to the closure of all shops in towns and cities in the foreseeable future’. In the case, I partially accord with the notion. The upcoming paragraphs will cast light on factors in favour of both online and offline shopping.

To commence with, online shopping is accelerating dramatically. There are several reasons in favour of this phenomenon. The most prominent one is that cutting edge technology offers a better lifestyle in an unprecedented fashion. In simple words, people can buy anything they need around the clock with the touch of a button and the product will be delivered directly to their front door. For example, a couple of months ago I purchased a smartphone from wayfair.com, an e-commerce shop, in five minutes and got 15% discounts in addition to free shipping and a coupon. Apart from it, most cases online shops provide consumers with an astonishing range of products. Besides, it is relatively easy to navigate and to purchase products from all over the globe. These facilities will definitely force many businesses to go online and many to close.

Having said that, there will still be a buoyant demand for street stores or supermalls in the future. This is because a fair number of shoppers still want a more tactile shopping experience. In simple words, consumers will want to see, touch, and feel the products before purchasing. This way, not only do they get a tangible experience, but also can take products home instantaneously. A very good example here is my uncles and parents. They always prefer in-stores fruits purchase so that they can check the freshness.

In conclusion, physical shops bear the burnt of the tremendous growth in online shopping of-late. Nevertheless, in-stores will not be rendered obsolete and will remain crucial to the shoppers due to its signature advantages.

2 Comments to “Essay 60 – Online shopping will lead to all shops closing”

This essay about online shopping is very amazing and I also prefer to buy products online.

This essay on online shopping is amazing. I really like this website. Thanks for sharing this website.

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