Online shopping benefits customers because it allows citizens from around the world to gain more information about a company and its products. Potential customers can browse online catalogues without having to leave their homes or offices.

In addition, a customer can find there is a wider variety of a goods displayed on a company’s website compared to the amount of goods that the company can fit or even cost effectively print in a catalogue. “The Internet offers variety that is simply impossible in traditional stores� (Postrel 2004, 2). Customers who shop online are also not limited by global time differences and can shop online when it is convenient for them, not during set hours which many built shops adhere to. Online shopping also allows buyers to customise their products, as well as benefit from cheaper prices. As buyers are purchasing directly from the supplier, it eliminates the need for retailers and distributors who often add to the cost of the product. Postrel (2004, 2) found that “prices on the Internet were 6 percent to 16 percent lower than prices off-line�.

Elderly people often have more trouble accessing built shopping centres because transport is usually not as readily available to them. This market has begun to realise the convenience of shopping at home because Tedeschi (2004, 4) found “the percentage of seniors on the Internet who were also shopping online in 2000 was 38 percent� and by February 2004, that figure had increased to 49 percent. Buyers also have better access to product review and rating systems. These services allow potential buyers to read product evaluations and comments made by other consumers who have previously purchased the product. It also gives customers the power to make more informed choices. Customers can also save a surprising amount of time by shopping online. Research indicated “online Christmas shopping is at least four times faster than pounding around the shopping precinct�, and “For experienced online shoppers, who know where to go, the time saving is even greater - for them it's typically six times faster than a trip to the traditional shopping destinations� (M2 Presswire 2003, 1).

Finally, a greater number of online retailers now have the technology which lets their customers monitor the goods they have ordered with greater ease. Those buyers can use a company’s online Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking service to check on the location of their goods via the company’s online store. This service offers customers added convenience as it eliminates the need for buyers to have to contact the company directly.