Retail or Etail

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The maturation of ecommerce happened at the perfect time for me. Over the 2000s, there were so many security concerns about the practice. There was a constant fear that if you used websites that you didn't really know, you might have your identity stolen and a domino effect of bad things would follow.

In 2007, a few things happened for me:

1. I finished school (May)

2. I got my first bank card (July)

3. I turned 16 (August)

4. I started making money online (September)

5. I did my first online shop (September)

(NB: Why I'm able to recall the months for 2, 4 and 5, I'm not sure, but that's just how my brain works)

In 2007, online shopping had pretty much been accepted as something you just do. After that first shop – which I distinctly remember was on Yukka – I was completely hooked. The convenience of it was second-to-none. The fact that I wasn't exchanging actual cash meant that I felt like every transaction felt pain-free. From that point, I stopped making clothing purchases in brick and mortar stores. I'm talking about a good 4 years, where all of the things I wore came exclusively from the internet.

The thing about buying online is that you can get things from anywhere. It wasn't long before browsing on American sites then led me to Japanese ones, and I had all of these crazy options that weren't around before. That's what's so great about it.

For me, online shopping is the one. I'd much rather get something delivered to me than to go out of my way to buy it in-person. Outdoors has too many distractions and distractions can be costly, in my eyes. Other people see it differently though, and would much rather feel the things they're about to buy beforehand. I completely understand.

SwiftMoney conducted a survey with 1,000 people to find out which they prefer to do. Is it better for them to go for regular retail or etail. Below are the results: