The ever-increasing influence of the internet on our everyday lives can be seen in virtually everything we do. Perhaps that influence is no more palpable than in the area of e-commerce. People can purchase their insurance policies online, they can set up bank accounts, apply for credit cards and loans and book hotels, holidays, car hire and flights. They can also purchase more or less any item they might wish to buy. Online shopping has become a regular feature of many people’s lives and it undoubtedly brings with it certain advantages that are not available to the personal shopper. However, as with most things, there are also certain disadvantages. In this article we look at some of those benefits and measure them against the disadvantages in the hope that the readers will find some assistance in deciding whether online shopping is for them or not.

Benefits

Without question the greatest benefit of online shopping is that the shopper is not required to leave the comfort of his own armchair or office desk. Time, transport costs, parking costs, queues and the effort involved in transporting goods home, frequently from a store that is situated on the outskirts of town, can all be avoided by engaging in online shopping. Additionally, although some stores provide twenty four hour opening, the overwhelming majority do not, whereas twenty four hour shopping on the internet is the norm. No one can argue, therefore, that one of the greatest appeals of this type of purchasing is its ease.

A second benefit is the range of choice available to the internet shopper. Literally millions of products can be compared by the online comparison engines, resulting in the potential for a considerable cost saving per item purchased. This price benefit can be even greater by reason of the fact that the online shop does not have the running and administrative costs of a bricks and mortar enterprise. If you are looking for a particular type of product, perhaps only available from specialist stores, the range available on the internet is almost certain to be wider than you would find on a trawl of your local stores.

A third benefit of online shopping is the protection afforded by the Distance Selling Regulations, 2000, which allow the purchaser the right to cancel the agreement at no cost within a fixed period of time.

Finally, as mentioned above, online shopping allows for a real and accurate comparison between the products and prices of a myriad of retailers. To even think about trying such an in-depth comparison by personally visiting that number of stores would be entirely impracticable.

Disadvantages

One of the major disadvantages of online shopping is the necessity to have a personal computer or at least access to one and, of course, the ability to master its use sufficiently well to make use of the internet shopping market. Although members of the public who come within one or other of these categories is definitely in the minority, it remains a disadvantage of this means of shopping.

When you shop in a real market, you are able to see, feel and even try out the goods that you are buying. No such facility exists when you buy online. The most you will be able to achieve is to see a picture of the goods that you are interested in acquiring. Whilst invariably this will provide and accurate representation of the product, the fact remains that, contrary to the popular saying – the camera does occasionally lie!

There can sometimes be a significant delay in receiving your goods that have been acquired on the internet, whereas, of course, you have immediate access to those that have been purchased in a store. You also have to organise your personal schedule to be at home whenever the goods are actually delivered. Additionally, there are sometimes some quite significant delivery costs involved, which do not apply if you collect the goods yourself from a real store.

The major disadvantage is the scope for compromise of your personal financial information. Whilst this risk has clearly been reduced by the development of SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption to protect the integrity of your personal financial details, it remains essential that a purchaser uses great care in divulging financial information online, particularly to a site that he is not familiar with. The concern about releasing personal financial information on the internet remains the single most cited reason, anecdotally, for people avoiding online shopping, despite all its apparent benefits.

Conclusion

Without doubt, there can be real benefits in availing yourself of the many opportunities to shop online. There are clearly also real (and perceived) disadvantages. Ultimately, it is a personal matter for the consumer, whether to embrace the opportunity offered by the internet or continue with his existing personal shopping practices. There is inevitably good – and bad – to be said about both.

They say fashion changes with the blink of an eye. What’s en vogue this season would be a passé fashion next season. And, to keep it in style, you need to match your footsteps with the flickering trends in the fashion industry. This spring 2009 brings with it many new stylish mantras to brighten up your wardrobe. The trend this year is to play with colors. Jazz up your wardrobe with bright and lively colors. Cropped pants, asymmetric necklines, fringed dresses, kaleidoscopic prints, sexy totes are all in. The key lies in experimenting, however, remember no fashion is worth its bit if not comfy and relaxing.

Dare to wear bright: Bright and vivid colors are the colors of the season. Hues of pink, orange, burgundy and yellow have a special role in summer trends of 2009. These radiant and hot colors render an attractive and head turning look this sunny summer. However, the evergreen colors like subtle shades of sky blue, sea green and grey are classic colors for your beach parties.

Asymmetric dresses: One shoulder dresses are going to be very popular this season. Slip into a midriff, one-side shoulder dress colored in a bright shade and revel in the attention you grab. Shimmer and work of swarovski beaded dresses would be quite a hot pick. However, make sure that you don these dresses only if your figure allows you to.

Ripped Jeans: They ruled last summer and are a popular choice this year as well. Ripped Jeans are a great pick for that coveted cool ‘summer- ish’ casual look. Shades of blue are hot colors to pick from. Team them up with chic tops like tube tops, strapped-tops or a simple tee for a typical teen look.

Pleated Tulip Skirts: These skirts are indeed the hottest trends in the apparel industry. These skirts are wider at the hips, making them wearable for those with broad waist line and get narrower at the end. They look best on the thin and medium build. These skirts render a neat and elegant look owing to their pleats and pencil look towards the end. They look best a few inches above the knees. They are best teamed up with short, thin top that can be tucked inside the skirt.

Harem Pants: Apparel brands are choc-a-bloc with stylish harem pants this year. These pants are baggy at the top and tapered at the bottom. With the latest pleated look of harem pants you are sure to don a new retro look. They look best with chic tops that can be tucked inside the pants.

Bold totes: Big and bold totes are a perfect accessory that renders you a glam pact look for your kitty parties, bars and discotheques. Totes in Kaleidoscopic colors are the ones worth picking. Indulge into some glamorous options like bling, shimmer and bead studded totes. Strappy totes in bright vivid colors are also a chic choice this season.

These are some of the hot buzzing trends from the fashion arena. They are sure to render you an absolute glam pact look that you’ve been longing for. Follow these trends and be an enviable part of the fashionistas’ bandwagon. However, remember, what may look stylish on others does not qualify for a style statement for you. As you have a different built, slip into what complements and enhances your personality rather than just blindly following the trends.