The Effect of the Internet on Shopping Habits (and Consumer Satisfaction)

This guest post is by Sergio Bonaducci

In the last decade the internet has grown in use so much that many of us spend the majority of our days online, either at work, at home or even during the daily commute through the power of our smart phones. I check the news, my emails, Facebook and shop through my phone. So, how has the internet changed shopping habits? Where we used to have to go out to the shops, now the shops come to us over the internet or at least those retailers that are online can.

There were many news stories leading up to and after Christmas of 2019 on the decline of the high street. One of the greatest ‘killers’ of high street trade is the internet- no maybes about it. So, how should we feel about this? If the trend is to shop online now why should we lament the high street? Shops like Comet, which sold digital equipment and went bust on 1 November 2019, couldn’t compete with the internet business model of other retailers. It no longer offered the British consumer a service of high enough quality.

Ultimately I wasn’t sorry to see Comet go. That may be harsh but in an age where the internet rules supreme consumers expect more. We can shop from the comfort of our home, buy at lower prices, read reviews from fellow shoppers and have the opportunity to shop around instantly. In fact doing all 4 of those things is about to become even easier when Google re-launch their streamlined service Google Shopping.