Question

Describe three examples of how the Internet has altered the way you receive products or services. Does the Internet offer you, the consumer, greater flexibility? How does the Internet improve your purchasing experiences? Have you experienced any drawbacks to using the Internet to make purchases?

Answer 1

Describe three examples of how the Internet has altered the way you receive products or services.

Internet has changed the way we receive the product or services.

1. While ordering a product online, we can check for the product specifications (size, color) and order it as per our taste and preferences without even going to the brick and mortar store. The product gets delivered at our doorstep.

2. The order is returnable in a small widow of time (say 10 days) in which you can use the product and if not satisfied, damaged product, no longer need it, you can replace or return it without much hassle.

3. The payment options given are either pay through card (credit, debit) or you can also pay when the item is delivered at your doorstep.

Does the Internet offer you, the consumer, greater flexibility?

Yes, greater flexibility is provided to us by the internet.

1. The flexibility to choose the desired product out of a very large collection of products.

2. The flexibility to order and get it delivered at our doorstep.

3. The flexibility to return or replace the order and get the full money back.

4. The flexibility to choose the desired pre-payment option (credit card, debit card, internet banking) or one can pay the amount at the time of delivery of the order.

How does the Internet improve your purchasing experiences?

Yes, the internet has improved our purchasing experiences.

1. The purchasing is now done while sitting at home.

2. The return and refunds are hassle free.

3. The orders can be refused eve after payment (before delivery).

4. We don’t have to roam around a store and search for a product for us.

5. No need to stand in long sale queues for payment.

6. The diverse shopping which one had to complete in one single day, can be completed now in a span of 2-3 hours.

Have you experienced any drawbacks to using the Internet to make purchases?

Yes, there are some drawbacks to this system.

1. The payments might fail but the amount still gets deducted from the account, which needs to be settled with the company later.

2. The order sometimes gets delivered at a time when there is no one to receive at home.

3. The credit card details gets stored at an external server which later gets sold to third parties and are prone to hacking.

4. The product delivered is sometimes defective or broken.

5. The food, if late delivered due to traffic, is not eatable, as it is not hot enough.