Comparison and contrast essay- Final Draft PDF

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Comparison and Contrast of Ecommerce and Tradition Shopping Student's Name Institution Tutor Date of Submission

Comparison and Contrast of Ecommerce and Tradition Shopping The modern times have come with the rapid advancement of technology that affects all spheres of life. The way people shop in modern times is undergoing a revolution. Ecommerce is emerging as an endearing alternative to traditional shopping. While the concept and nature of retail shopping had remained constant for a long time, technology and the internet have brought about changes and enabled people to be able to shop online. There is a progressive upward trend to consumers opting for online shopping because of the advantages that it brings to them. However, the traditional shopping method has been developed for a long time and remains the major method for retail shopping. This essay will assess e-commerce and traditional shopping and conduct a contrast and comparison of the two in terms of convenience, cost and culture. The first aspect of contrast and comparison is convenience. Convenience is a major element in the lives of people. People make choices on the basis of what serves their interests more. They are more likely to choose the option that offers them more convenience. With respect to e-commerce and traditional shopping, this is a major reason attributed to the boom of ecommerce. E-commerce eliminates the effort of physically going to a retail store to purchase a product. At the comfort of a computer device and an internet connection, a person may order for the product of their choice from a variety right on a monitor. The products are then shipped to their preferred location. Contrasted to the traditional retail shopping, one must go to a store and put in added effort in choice. Therefore, online shopping is relatively convenient compared to traditional shopping. Secondly, the cost is obviously a major factor in purchasing. It affects eCommerce or traditional shopping because the choices of individuals are greatly affected by the prices.

Moreover, it affects the sustainability of each business model in competition with each other. The basic costs of products offered on both platforms are similar and so are the prices. However, any business has to take into account, the operational costs to make profits. Both of the two have operational costs but they differ in the nature of those costs. The operational costs in e-commerce come about due to the storage in warehouses for the products, maintenance of systems, human resources, and courier services. On the other hand, the operational costs involved in traditional shopping are those of maintaining the premises and business operations. At most times, traditional retail shops incur more costs. The third aspect of comparison and contrast is culture. Firstly, there is an intangible value in physically visiting a retail store. It is an activity that is socially inculcated in culture as an avenue for socialization and social learning. As a result, one may prefer going to shop physically solely for the socio-cultural value attached to it. Traditional shopping has this attribute. In contrast, e-commerce is a particularly new method of trading that has not been strongly inculcated in culture. The simplistic and shortened process involved in e-commerce eliminates the aesthetic value present in traditional shopping. However, in another perspective, e-commerce has the cultural change attribute being a new trend that is part of popular culture. In conclusion, e-commerce and traditional shopping are directly opposing aspects of shopping that have differences and similarities. The points of contrast and comparison are in cost, convenience, and culture. These aspects determine the preference of the two methods of shopping. However, conclusively, e-commerce is gaining traction over traditional shopping because it shares advantageous similarities with traditional shopping but differs in those areas that are disadvantageous....