There is the added convenience of 24-hour a day shopping and the avoidance of crowds, traffic and parking. And, as previously noted, a number of sites may be comparison shopped in rapid succession. About the only disadvantage is the shipping delay that exists between making a selection and receipt of the goods. Most of the items of conventional wisdom concerning retailing apply to achieving customer satisfaction on the Internet. If the impression is not favorable, the customer will not shop and will not return.
Many retailers run dual operations, a physical store and a virtual store.
It is desirable that these two operations be mutually reinforcing and present a congruent market offering. If customers are familiar with your physical operation, and like it, they will be comfortable buying through the web site. For other shoppers whose only contact is through the Internet, the purchase poses a greater degree of risk. Satisfactory Internet purchases, on the other hand, may increase patronage of corresponding retail stores. Conclusions Consumers' use of the Internet for shopping is partly a function of benefits received.