Nicole Cruise – Online shopper

(Nicole Cruise, 37, is telling us about the advantages and disadvantages of online shopping.)

It is such a blessing to live in the information age! Thanks to information technology, the options and time available have dramatically increased. The effects are visible in the changes that have come about in everyday life. Take online shopping for instance. I think it’s the most efficient way of getting an entire variety of good quality, low priced products at your very doorstep. Once you start shopping on the web, you get positively addicted to it!

And yet, some people say that technology is not always perfect. They claim there are risks involved.

Personally, I only see the many advantages of shopping online: the product variety, the competitive prices, the reliable quality, and most importantly, the saving of time. I wouldn’t be surprised if very soon online shopping completely replaces the ‘real experience’.

Sandra, my elder sister, thinks it’s highly improbable. For her, the web may be an effective means of advertising, marketing and selling. And yet for certain products, she would prefer to buy in the shops rather than in cyber space. She often takes the example of clothes. She says online shopping would rob her of the pleasure of choosing, trying on different outfits, bargaining...
Besides, she is not sure of the quality control of products sold online. ‘If a product does not meet your expectations, whom do you hold responsible?’, she asks.

We mustn’t forget this is the information age. It is the consumer who has the power because he has access to information in the shortest possible time. Think about the immense competition between products that results. It ensures that the consumer gets the best deal: the lowest price and the best quality. 

I may be wrong in underestimating the pleasures of shopping, but from the way it is growing, online shopping is definitely here to stay!