This function can work either vertically or horizontally. This is in contrast to VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP, which are mostly locked to their orientation.
You’re not dependent on a sorted list.
You don’t have to worry about the function breaking if you add or remove columns.
It defaults to an exact match. If this is your preferred match type, then it’s one less argument you have to state.
You’re not dependent on the first column.
Your return array can be to the left of your lookup column.