News You Can Use

Online shopping convenience offers year-round benefits

University Relations
News Bureau (662) 325-3442
Contact: Emily Moss
Dec. 20, 1999

STARKVILLE, Miss.-For persons with restrictive family or work schedules, online browsing can offer some relief when it comes to shopping.

Avoiding crowds, clutter and traffic are just a few reasons online shopping appeals to many, said Sheri L. Lokken, an assistant professor of human sciences at Mississippi State University.

"Online shopping has many advantages that catalogs and stores do not," she says.

Appealing features of online commerce include, among others:

--Key word searches. Search engines can help locate the exact item. This eliminates the possibility of missing an item's listing in an index or finding that you need to go to another store.

--Expanded information. Online descriptions are not limited by page size or printing costs, as in catalogs. Companies may provide as much information about each item as they wish.

--Gift opportunities. Gift certificates may apply to a variety of online sites, rather than just one store.

--Convenience. Shoppers do not have to leave the comfort of their homes and can complete shopping in one sitting. Gifts can be ordered, wrapped, and sent electronically.

--Safety. With secure sites, online shopping is as safe as making catalog orders by phone.

--Customization. On some sites, consumers can design their own clothing using their own measurements and fabric selections; others allow the creation of compact discs with the music of choice.