5 Facts Proving Online Shopping Is The Way Of The Future

Is there any doubt that we are living in an “online world”? Think about it. You’re reading a blog right now. A couple of decades ago, the idea of blogging was unheard of. Then again, so was the idea of watching videos, streaming music and viewing pictures over the internet. Another fascinating facet of the worldwide web is that it allows people to go shopping without having to leave the comfort of their own homes.

So it can also be argued that we also live in an “online shopping world”. Of course, people still flood the malls to visit physical store locations. But online shopping continues to grow in popularity each and every year. In what can now be deemed as an understatement, Statista.com states that “the online shopping industry has grown considerably over the past decade.” In case you were still unaware, there are some facts that prove that online shopping is the way of the future.

Here are five:

1. Online shopping sales grow every year. \”In 2012, U.S. e-commerce sales amounted to 289 billion U.S. dollars, up from 256 billion U.S. dollars in 2011,\” states Statista.com. The site notes that the jump in online sales from one year to the next is quite significant. It also points out that a large amount of the purchasing that takes place online has to do with travel. In fact, over one third of e-commerce in the United States is generated by the booking of airline tickets.

2. Retail shopping dominates the online shopping world. As much as airline tickets, hotel stays and car rentals are widely purchased via e-commerce, the retail world seems to be thriving online better than any other industry. According to Statista.com, “the largest share of online revenue was generated by retail shopping websites…which earned 210.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2013.” Apparently, the convenience of having items shipped directly to your front door is very enticing.

3. Online shopping sales are projected to skyrocket. It should come as no surprise that the trends being outlined in today’s blog are only getting more and more popular. Statista.com states that “a current e-commerce market forecast projects online retail revenue in the United States closing in on 500 billion U.S. dollars in 2018. Simultaneously, the number of U.S. digital buyers is expected to grow from over 157 million in 2013 to 180 million in 2017, according to industry estimates.”

4. E-commerce is what made Amazon.com. Today, the website is known as one of the most popular places to shop online. But, as Statista.com informs us, the Seattle-based site started out as an online book store. By expanding its product range, Amazon has generated billions of dollars in revenue on a yearly basis – all without a physical store location. “In the third quarter of 2013, Amazon\’s websites averaged over 160 million unique visitors per month,” says Statista.com.

5. Online shopping is especially popular during the holiday season. Is there a harder time of year to shop than the end-of-year holiday season? Finding parking, waiting in long line ups and scrambling to find the heavily sought-after items on your list can make holiday shopping a drag. Online shopping is perfect for those who wish to avoid the holiday rush. In fact, a “holiday” was even created in honour of such a fact.

Cyber Monday is the first Monday after American Thanksgiving. According to Statista.com, “in 2013, U.S. online shoppers spent 1.74 billion U.S. dollars on this day, making Cyber Monday 2013 the biggest online spending day of all time.” Is there any reason that you can’t get in on the action? Contact Canadian POS Corporation to learn more about our e-commerce solutions for your business. You can call us at 1-877-748-2884 or email us at info@localhost.