I bet that shopaholics never thought that they would ever hear this, but yes, shopping online is something that is GOOD. I am talking about something more than saving money and being able to shop at great convenience. Have you ever thought about the fact that shopping online can actually be good for the environment as well?
The fact is that online shopping involves so much less energy than normal shopping. For example, if you look at the operations that are involved in merchandising, traditional retail stores use up a lot of resources; more storage space, more overhead expenses, more manpower. As compared to this, e-commerce businesses use up about 1/16th of the energy and resources. Add up the number of e-commerce businesses in existence and you will realize just how much better for the earth this is!
Now how about the fuel that you use going to the mall? You might be thinking that the shipping involved in online shopping would use up a lot of fuel as well. The thing is that you actually use up more fuel driving to the mall than ground shipping or overnight air shipping. This drive to the mall does not even include driving around looking for a parking space or moving from one mall to the next. Now I bet you didn’t really know that, did you?
In any case, there are also more online shops that offer various options that will help you lessen your carbon footprint. That’s the good news. Go ahead, shop online all you want.