Cyber Shopping: Cure or Curse?

On a non-uni day, here goes my typical morning; the alarm clock goes off. Snooze. Back to dreamland. The alarm goes off again. Snooze again. Back to dreamland again. The alarm goes off, yet for another time. And just as I am about to hit the snooze button again, my dear neighbour knocks on the door and ask if I would “please wake up for heaven’s sake and shut the alarm clock off”.

So there I would go, dragging myself to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. I would then fix myself my must-have morning coffee with toast and egg and switch on my notebook. A couple of clicks soon after, I would already be on the Internet, checking my mailboxes and popping onto MSN Messenger to see if any of my friends are already up as well.

Then comes my daily fashion research routine. I would take glimpses at several of my favourite fashion websites before finally settling down to do what I love best: shopping. Yes, you read it right. Shopping in the comforts of my own bedroom, in my pyjamas and my messy hair, with my warm coffee and toast on the table and of course; a working credit card in my purse.

Home shopping is certainly not something new. Remember the Avon lady? Catalogues featuring cosmetics, apparel as well as home and kitchenware were often chucked into our mailboxes or conveniently thrown into our porches. Sometimes direct sellers themselves would casually pay us unwanted visits at home, rims of enticing, colourful catalogues tucked under their arms. Some of the successful business that were built upon this principle include Cosway, Amway and storage-solutions giant, Tupperware.

While catalogue shopping continued to prosper especially in areas where access to commercial shopping centers is limited, another form of home-shopping emerged; shop TV. I remember coming back from school in the afternoon to see Malik Noor promoting Kayla Beverly Hills health supplements on television. Then there was the all-amazing Didi 7 demonstration-advertisement which got my brothers and I hooked on to Science for a while. Similar to catalogue shopping, shop TV saves customers from the inconvenience of having to bear with distressing traffic congestion, long check-out queues and desperately pushy salespersons.

Home-shopping, however, did not gain as much momentum until the Internet became popular. It started out with small companies and home-based businesses promoting limited products and services on their websites. Soon enough, websites became a marketing necessity. In the fashion scene, leading brands began establishing up-to-date online catalogues and made happen the one dream that every shopaholics have been weaving; online boutiques. The appeal of flicking through dresses using the keyboard instead of flipping them on the racks increased with the rise of ebay, the online marketplace. While most online boutiques have pricey tags, on eBay, a pair of Levi’s jeans could easily be sold at RM 30 or less.

As cashless online transactions slowly gained popularity, the e-business industry was thought by some to be the cure for compulsive shopping. While our emotions go frenzy seeing huge ‘SALES’ banners at the mall-urging us to pick up imperative purchases-the shopping experience on the Internet is deemed by some to be somewhat less self-destructing. Online shopping is item-specific. Clear-cut categories are used to classify items so instead of pushing the trolley down confusing aisles, we click on the appropriate categories and search for the specific items needed. Logically, this should reduce the chances of us being tempted into buying something unnecessary (like the time when you intended to buy a pair of boots but went home with a new purse instead just because it was on 70 percent reduction).

As for me, online shopping was a love at first sight. Drawn instantly by its 24/7 availability, I love the fact that online shopping gives me access to international brands and limited-edition collections (which sometimes may not arrive at our local shores at all) even at ungodly hours.

Having developed an obsession for vintage accessories and bargain buys, I have been a devoted visitor of eBay. This year alone, I have secured myself a couple of steals; limited edition books, hand-made accessories and cheap, vintage clothes. The items are mostly pre-loved but are still in fabulous condition. Shopping on eBay gives me what I term as ‘repeated thrills’; I get the thrill of browsing through the list of items, the thrill of bidding and re-biding and finally, the thrill of waiting for the package to arrive in my mailbox. Shown in the picture here is a vintage dress I bought on eBay for only 5 dollars, all inclusive of postage and handling.

However, as with all other trends and fads, online shopping has not gone without criticisms. Traditional shopaholics feel that online shopping takes away the essential pleasures of shopping; the actual process of walking into a nice boutique, touching the delicate fabrics, examining the fine details such as the stitches and seams and of course, the exciting experience of trying on the garments in the fitting room itself. As much as I adore online shopping, I must admit that the absence of sensorial experience is indeed a limitation of online shopping.

Needless to say, the idea of cyberspace-shopping helping us become wiser shoppers has been rejected by those on the opposing camp. Among others, it is contended that online shopping makes shopping a little too convenient. While shoppers may not have the time to make daily visits to the shopping mall, the virtual store is merely a click a way. I log on to the Internet everyday and spend three to four hours doing my research or working on my assignments; during which the eBay page is always left open, just in case a good deal comes along.

And on eBay, a good deal always comes along (note the sarcasm here) and before you know it, you have received a payment invoice for a pair of jeans which look quite similar to the three pairs you already have hanging in the closet.

Regardless of what the current debates on online shopping are all about, one thing I am personally convinced of is that the allure of cyberspace shopping has moved from providing convenience to quenching the shopaholics’ thirst for retail urges. Whether online shopping compels one to spend more is questionable but so is whether it actually helps to reduce impulsive purchases.

Now, did you say there is a Kookai dress up for auction on eBay? =P