Reasons to Shop Online
By Crystal Loi

Everyone loves shopping. However, some people think that it is too troublesome spending the whole day walking into different stores before they can find something they want. Nowadays, you can simply stay at home and shop with your computer. Online shopping is becoming a habit for the generation Y. Members of generation Y have more time for using the computer. Many teenagers are addicted to online shopping instead of going out. They love online shopping for some of the reasons listed below.

More choices
There are a lot of shops online. You can visit many shops at one time. You don't have to walk into different shops but simply make  a few clicks. Also there are brands which do not have physical retail stores in the city where you live. However, you can still see and buy their latest products through the Internet.

Lower prices
Online shops usually offer lower price products as they do not have to pay rent. The other reason is that online shops face more competition than physical retail stores as customers can compare prices of the same or similar products immediately before they buy the products.

More convenient
Many people nowadays are too busy and some are too lazy to go shopping. Online shopping is so convenient that you just need to move your fingers then you can purchase the products you want. Online shops are available for your visit 24 hours everyday. You can buy a pair of nice jeans even at midnight. After you buy the product online, it can be delivered directly to your home. You can simply sit at home and wait for it.

Chao's shopping experience:

"I have not shopped in physical retail stores for more than two years," said Christie Chao, a 24 year-old office lady, who spends most of her spare time on online shopping. "I spend around MOP3,000 on online shopping a month." Chao buys almost everything she needs through the Internet.

"Macau's inflation rate is so high and our salaries are not raised as much. In order to maintain the living standard, it is necessary to find some lower price products. The prices of online products are much lower than the products in physical retail stores. I bought a box of instant noodles through group buying with 30% discount comparing to the supermarket near my home."

When she is off from work, she stays at home with her cat and goes to different online shopping websites to check for the latest updates and sales. "I don't see why I have to go to physical retail stores. I can get everything from cheapies to brand name products by using my computer. I seldom find someone wearing the same clothes as I do. The prices of the brand name products that I wear are much lower than the ones that my friends get in the physical retail stores."

Chao is now planning to turn her habit into a business. She plans to open an online store selling low priced and limited edition brand name products, for example, Korean-style fashion and cosmetics. She said that she hoped everyone could get the latest fashion products with a much more reasonable price as she does now.