The growth of online shopping will one day lead to all shops in towns and cities closing. Do you agree or disagree?

Undeniably, in present times we are seeing an unprecedented rise of consumer purchasing done on online platforms rather than from offline modes. While some people argue that this behaviour might eventually lead to the shutting of physical stores in cities and towns, I firmly believe that shops would continue to be in business. In this essay, I would highlight my support for the continued relevance of physical stores. One important reason to consider is the presence of physical stores catering to speciality equipment, items, commodities, and with the uncompromisable requirement of bespoke fittings and the overall look and comfort essential to achieve for an occasion, often, people find it irrational to rely on online shopping to fulfil such needs. For example, people get their special wedding outfits tailor-made and customized based on their planned look for their D-day from physical stores in towns and cities. Such an arrangement makes the to-be married couple more appealing and confident on their momentous day of life. Moreover, there is always an uncertainty hovering around the quality and worthiness aspect of the stuff purchased online. Ideally, any person would like to get the same quality, fabric and material as advertised on the online media, but fraudsters deceive people and deliver dirt for money. For example, An unfortunate experience that happened with my friend and shook all of us was when the One Plus phone he ordered from Amazon was received as a carton filled with stones and gravel. When he contacted the online seller, he claimed the parcel dispatched was the same phone that was ordered and refused to refund the prepaid order. Reflecting on this incident, I believe, had my friend visited a local mobile galley and shopped from there, he would have never come across such a dejection. To summarize, even though online shopping provides us with tremendous accessibility and ease, the physical stores will continue to thrive and profit, owing to the need for niche products suited for unique occasions and the prevalence of consistently upward trending fraudulent malpractices in the e-commerce industry.