Online shopping is gaining in popularity and convenience every day. There’s very little (if anything) you can’t buy online these days. Not only is the selection of products and services expanding but the speed with which they are delivered is increasing.
Where shipping and handling costs used to give us pause when shopping online, it’s often practically overlooked nowadays by online shoppers who value the ease and convenience of shopping from anywhere, 24/7. In fact, Amazon.com is looking to increase its shipping offerings to include a “same day delivery” option. In other words, if you purchase an item before the daily cut-off time and have it delivered within an area in which the service is offered, you could literally receive your package mere hours after you click the “purchase” button.
Impact of same day shipping on shopping habits
What could be the ramifications of same day shipping? How would that sort of convenience impact our shopping habits and our personal economy? Here are some of the ways I’ve identified:
- Time savings – Especially if you have a favorite store or stores online, shopping or browsing without physically traveling between locations presents the opportunity for great time savings. With same day shipping, items will be in your possession almost as soon as if you’d brought them home yourself.
- Convenience – The ability to have items delivered the same day also means that you can shop for and receive them at the drop of a hat, should a need or want arise. A forgotten occasion? No problem – choose, purchase and receive a gift in hours while you go about your day.
- Fuel and transportation savings – Let’s face it. Gas for our tanks isn’t getting any cheaper. Subways, trains and cabs fares are likewise on the rise. Taking transportation costs into consideration when shopping online makes justifying a few more dollars for same day delivery a no-brainer.
- Potentially greater choice – Let’s say you have a preferred brand of risotto which is only available online and you need it tonight. It’s just as convenient to order your favorite brand online and receive it via same day delivery as it is to drive to the grocery store and settle for any old brand.
- On-the-spot information and reviews increases product desirability – Online stores usually have complete product details readily available. This information helps you compare and choose more quickly, without feeling the need to research further before purchase. Once the decision has been made, the product can be delivered that same day.
One caution…
In all these ways, same day shipping would revolutionize, simplify and economize our shopping habits. There’s one factor, however, of which we really would need to remain mindful: our innate desire for instant gratification. It’s in our nature to want to get what we want NOW! Mixing that propensity for instant gratification with the reality of receiving what we want as soon as we want presents a challenge to self-restraint. Providing the ability to, in essence, get what we want as soon as we want it without adequate time to consider the purchase could prove potentially dangerous to our finances. It will be especially important to remember that we should only buy that which legitimately fits into our budgets. Same day shipping isn’t a license for financial impulsivity to take over.
Same day shipping may soon be a common fact of life, impacting our day-to-day shopping habits and expectations profoundly. Its generally a positive thing, so long as we remember to remain frugal, responsible consumers.
How do you think same day shipping impact your shopping habits?
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I already use Amazon Prime and I love it! Getting things in 2 days without needed a minimum is awesome. But I can see how it could get dangerous real quick. There was a time in my life where that really would have been taken advantage of in a bad way.
Point being – I look forward to same day delivery but I can see how that could also get someone in debt trouble quick.