Few developments have altered America’s lifestyle more quickly and more completely than the Internet. Online access has enabled people from all walks of life to bring entire libraries, entertainment venues, post offices and financial centers to a workplace, to a desktop or to a shirt pocket. The Internet’s largest and most meaningful impact may very well be on the way consumers shop for everything from gifts, gadgets and groceries to clothing, cars, and cruises.
The ease and selection that the Internet provides to shoppers has changed the face of retailing. More and more, consumers visit a store’s Web site to make their choices before traveling to the store itself; and in a rapidly swelling tide, many shoppers are bypassing the store altogether and ordering online directly from the Web sites of their favorite brands and outlets. Companies like Sephora, Sears and Crate & Barrel have increased the range and quantity of products available at their online stores and are sending online coupons and sale announcements via e-mail directly to their customers.
Because online stores are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and their inventories are often more complete than those of their brick-and-mortar counterparts, the Internet makes it easy for shoppers to compare products within or between stores, to read product reviews from other customers, to access vendor return policies and to find warranty information.
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