Canadian online shopping is a big growth industry, like pretty much all online shopping. The reason for this is that it saves companies money on virtually everything. Labor, property, transport, marketing and maintenance are all cheaper if you assume that most of your customers will be coming to you online rather than through the doors of a shop. Owning just a few big warehouses is far cheaper than owning dozens or hundreds of smaller shops, they require fewer workers and marketing online is generally cheaper and more versatile than traditional advertising. All in all it’s a slam dunk for Canadian business owners.
But what about the rest of us? Obviously workers getting laid off because their company has moved online won’t exactly be happy about it but over the long term, those savings in efficiencies should get passed on to the consumer, allowing them to get more for their money.
Shopping online at a Canadian online shop is also more environmentally friendly: Fewer people driving to the stores obviously means fewer car journeys, which is good, but it also means less overall traffic on our roads, which will mean less time stuck in traffic with the engine running for all of us. And by not relying on enormous parking lots outside every shopping mall in the country, we’re freeing up more land to be used for something other than having cars parked on it for twelve hours a day.
So the social and environmental benefits exist alongside the economic benefits. But what does online shopping mean for the individual consumer ?
Well, if you use Canadian online shopping stores, you’ll quickly find that you start saving yourself time and money. Time, because you can do all your shopping while sitting on the couch; money because businesses are desperate for your online business and are willing to offer cash incentives to get your money. What’s more, comparing products and prices is easier online than it is in physical shops, where you might have to visit several different stores to try and get the best price, walking or driving between each of them to make a cost-effective decision. Online, you can just browse through several different websites at once to make the purchase that’s right for you. More choice for consumers means that the whole economy works more effectively and efficiently, with businesses working hard to meet the demand for products consumers need at prices that consumers find acceptable. The internet has forced capitalist competition into overdrive and for now the tech-savvy consumer can benefit as much as the tech-savvy entrepreneur.
The whole web can be seen as one big Canadian online shopping mall. It’s not just a place to shop, but a place to meet people, to hang out, to watch movies and listen to music (you can’t exactly eat online, yet, but you can order takeout!). For businesses, the digital mall means more opportunity to connect with consumers; for the consumer this means choice and choice means savings.
