Marketing Corner: When does online shopping beat offline shopping?

Posted Jan 27, 2025

Apparently, being able to shop whenever—even in the middle of the night—is a big motivator. In fact, 48% of respondents think it’s nearly as important as saving time.

Another determining factor besides saving time is saving money.

Saving on commute costs and seeing discounts and special offers clearly displayed on the website makes a big difference. So do the two magical words “free shipping.”

And not surprisingly, 31% say the internet helps them source hard-to-find products.

What you can do: If you look carefully, you’ll notice the chart above contains insights you can use to improve the online shopping experience.

For example, brand visibility—and discoverability—should be your priority, especially on search engines. AI and “traditional.”

After all, people want to find quality products they wouldn’t find in a store. So invest in getting discovered, not just in running social media ads.