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?

Nowadays, people prefer buying various things such as books, air tickets and groceries online. This trend has certain advantages such as ease of comfort and time flexibility, however, this also has certain disadvantages which can be overcome, if managed well. In my view, the positives of online shopping outweigh the negatives. On the one hand, online shopping has made everything possible with a click of a button. This has entirely changed the shopping experience and now anyone can shop in a more time-efficient manner and at any time as per their comfort. Due to the advent of online shopping, there is increasing competition between companies, which in turn, is benefitting the consumers who are being lured with better services at affordable prices. The Internet allows customers to skim through multiple websites where they can compare the products, and make an informed and prudent decision about their purchase. On the other hand, this kind of shift in the shopping pattern has certain disadvantages too. Because of online shopping, people are not often stepping out of their houses, which in turn, is impacting their social interaction. People are left at the mercy of online marketers and they can now, with the use of artificial intelligence, influence customers to buy products that they do not really need. However, people can manage these negative aspects by consciously taking steps to engage socially through activities such as sports and welfare clubs. Consumers can be more diligent and judicious while making any purchase so that they can distinguish between their actual needs and latent wants. To conclude, online shopping has myriad benefits such as comfort, affordable prices due to immense competition, flexibility but also certain disadvantages which can be handled if managed properly.