LegalReader.com  ·  Legal News, Analysis, & Commentary

News & Politics

Quick Facts About Online vs. Offline Shopping


— May 22, 2018

Everybody loves online shopping and its popularity has surged over the last decade. The ability to shop from the comfort of your own home and browse product reviews before committing to a purchase are two of the main reasons people love it so much and opt to shop online as opposed to visiting traditional retail stores.


Everybody loves online shopping and its popularity has surged over the last decade. The ability to shop from the comfort of your own home and browse product reviews before committing to a purchase are two of the main reasons people love it so much and opt to shop online as opposed to visiting traditional retail stores.

Whether you prefer online or offline shopping, we cannot ignore how popular it is now. All you need to do is look at Amazon during Black Friday or Cyber Monday to get an idea of just how much people rely on it.

It’s not rocket science, though. By shopping online, you have the convenience of having millions of products by thousands of brands in one place: the Internet. You do not need to go from store-to-store to find a specific product or look for the best deals.

Some of the facts are impressive, though. Here are some of our favorites:

  • Offline shopping grew by $3 billion in 2016, whereas online shopping grew by an eye-watering $376 billion.
  • 51% of Americans and 67% of American millennials prefer online shopping over going in-store.
  • The average consumer in Western Europe and North America makes 19 purchases per year online. Sure, that may not look like much, but what sort of things do you buy in-store? Probably groceries, mostly, whereas you’re far more likely to make large purchases online.
  • 59% of people also saw a product they purchased online before they decided to buy it, compared to 52% in offline channels.

Want to learn more about the way online shopping is now dominating offline shopping? Click on the image below to check out our infographic!

Why People Shop Online Instead of In-Store; graphic courtesy of author.
Why People Shop Online Instead of In-Store; graphic courtesy of author.

Join the conversation!