ICT

-AVAILABILTY- you can shop all day every day, even on christmas day. Online stores are always open.

-SELECTION AVAILABLE- there us a far greater choice online than on the high street or in a shopping mall. You are not restricted to what you can find in your local area because you can browse in every suitable online shop across the world.

-COMPARE PRICES- You can easily find the best price for the item you want to buy by using price comparison websites that search lots of online vendors for you and display their prices.

CONVENIENCE- for some people, physically travelling to the shops is difficult so being able to shop from home and have an item deliverd is a great advantage.

-DELIVERY- all of the items you buy have to be dilieverd regardless of their size, so you have to pay for the delivery and and wait for it to arrive. Sometimes the delivery charge can be more than the product you are buying.

-TRY BEFORE BUYING- You cannot see or try the products (excpet in photos) before you buy; for products such as clothing, this is not ideal because if items do not fit, you have the added issue of returning them. Some sites have tried to resolve this by using virtual models which can be customised to match your face and body shape.

-VIEWING ON SCREEN- You might be disapointed by the item delieverd. Images and presentations online can sometimes give a different impression of a product.

-PAYMENT METHODS- The only way many online shops can take payment for goods is using credit or debit cards and with either, online shopping is out of reach. Although some sites allow payment through 'thrid party payment processors' such as Paypal or gift vouchers. Some people with access to these cards prefer not to shop online as they are handing over personal details on a computer.

-DIGITAL ACCESS0 not everybody has access to the internet or the computer skills to be able to shop online.