Why is Online Shopping so Popular?
- Jennifer Johnson
- Oct 7
- 12 min read
Let’s say it’s 2005, and you want to buy a new pair of jeans.
You drive to the shopping centre or high street, hunt for a decent parking spot, wander through stores checking out different styles, maybe chat with a sales assistant who knows the brands inside out, try on a few pairs in the changing room, decide on the perfect fit, and drive home with your new jeans ready to wear tonight.
Now it's 2025, and you want to buy a new pair of jeans. You pull out your phone, filter by size, style, and colour, read reviews from previous customers, compare prices across multiple stores, save your favourites to think about over a cup of tea, and order them for delivery tomorrow — all whilst wearing your pyjamas.
A lot has changed with e-commerce over the years, and it's not necessarily all about convenience. Online shopping has become the default for millions of people worldwide, and that's a trend showing no signs of slowing down.
So why exactly is online shopping so popular? Let's take a closer look at what's driving this shift.
In this article
The Online Shopping Psychology of Better Decision-Making
Undeniably, there’s something that happens in physical stores that’s a universal human experience: the pressure to look “normal”.
You walk into a shop, and suddenly you're conscious of time. You don't want to hover too long by the expensive items in case it looks like you want to nick them. You always have to say that you're "just browsing" when a sales assistant approaches. You certainly don't want to appear to be comparing prices or hunting for the cheapest option in front of other customers.
This social pressure often leads to snap decisions:
Buying something just to avoid leaving empty-handed
Avoiding questions because you don’t want to seem indecisive
Getting talked into upgrades when you were perfectly happy with the basic version
Online shopping takes all that away.
→ You can spend twenty minutes reading product descriptions without anyone judging you.
→ You can compare prices across five different websites in peace.
→ You can research ingredients, check sizing guides, and read reviews without feeling rushed.
In short, online shopping creates space for better, more informed decisions.
Convenience and Everyday Shopping
During the Covid-19 pandemic, we discovered just how essential online shopping could be. It became the way people accessed necessities when physical stores were closed, and for many it was a lifeline. It was also a source of entertainment: hours of scrolling, researching big purchases, or refreshing your wardrobe for a post-lockdown world.
That convenience didn’t fade once restrictions lifted. If anything, it made everyday shopping feel simpler and better suited to individual lifestyles.
For example:
Parents with young children: No bundling everyone into car seats or keeping little ones entertained.
People with mobility challenges: No crowded aisles or long queues.
Anyone who finds social situations draining: No small talk or store anxiety.
Busy workers: Shopping from home after work instead of rushing through stores at lunch.
Everyone: Saving the time and energy of travel, parking, and multiple store visits.
The benefits of shopping online became clear during lockdown, and months of this new reality formed lasting habits. Reaching for our phones instead of heading to the shops quickly became second nature.
And that convenience extends beyond just shopping locally. The online shopping advantages go even further when you realise you're no longer limited to what's available nearby — online shopping has opened up the entire world.
The Whole World in Your Shopping Basket
Another reason online shopping has taken off: access to stores around the globe.
Suddenly, you're no longer limited to the clothing brands available at your nearest shopping centre or high street. You can shop directly from:
Independent designers in Denmark
Vintage sellers in Tokyo
Speciality suppliers in the rural part of your own country, who make exactly the thing you've been looking for but could never find locally
In New Zealand, this trend is playing out in real numbers: spending with offshore retailers jumped 23% in the last quarter of 2024, as shoppers seemingly actively seek out international options for unique products or better deals (NZ Post Business IQ, 2025).
This expansion of choice in online shopping worldwide means people can find products that are more specific to what they need, rather than settling for "close enough" from whatever happens to be available nearby.
You can discover brands you'd never heard of before. You can find niche products for specific hobbies or requirements. You can support small businesses that don't have the resources for physical storefronts but create brilliant products.
So what does this mean?
For customers: Better solutions to their problems. More choice, more control.
For businesses: Global reach for customers, but also global competition from other stores.
And with all this global competition, businesses need every advantage they can get. Starting with understanding just how much the online shopping experience itself has evolved.
Understanding the Evolution of Online Shopping
What we're looking at here is that online shopping in 2025 isn't the same as online shopping in 2005. The overall experience has evolved dramatically.
For example:
Same-day and next-day delivery options have removed the waiting game. What used to be the main frustration about online shopping — waiting for your purchase to arrive — has largely disappeared. In some areas, you can order something at lunch and have it by dinner. And people are willing to pay for that speed: in 2021, 48% of online shoppers were willing to pay extra for faster delivery, rising to 55% among Amazon customers (Jungle Scout, 2021).
The "parcel present" phenomenon: For most people, physical mail has become pretty rare, so when a package shows up it genuinely feels exciting, like getting a present, even though you ordered it yourself. If you've seen the memes, you know what I mean!
Improved trust infrastructure: Online shopping feels less risky than it once did. Detailed return policies, secure payment systems, and buyer protection schemes have made transactions feel safer. And customer reviews have also become huge. In 2021, 71% of shoppers were swayed by products with the best ratings and reviews, and 68% paid extra attention when those reviews included photos or videos (Jungle Scout, 2021).
Mobile shopping also means you can buy things in moments that would previously have required a dedicated shopping trip:
Running low on skincare whilst you're getting ready for work? Order it from your phone.
Remembered you need a birthday present whilst you're on the bus? Sorted in five minutes.
This immediacy has changed customer expectations. People expect shopping to be quick, easy, and available whenever they need it.
So, is Online Shopping Better Than In-Store?
This is the big question, and it doesn’t have a yes or no answer. Mainly, because it’s all about personal preference.
You might enjoy going out to the shops, browsing and seeing the items, trying them on, making a day of it with lunch and a natter with your friends. Or you might dislike the thought of being around all those people, and you just want to shop sitting on your couch, with all the time in the world. Or you might like both. Sometimes you want to go to the shops, sometimes you want to buy online.
In all honesty, that's where most of us are sitting right now. A lot of habits formed over the pandemic have stuck with us, but we still like having the option to visit physical stores when we want. The numbers show it too: Salsify's 2024 report found that nearly half of consumers (49%) want both online and in-store options, not just one or the other.
And what is it about each way of shopping that draws people in?
Online Shopping vs In-Store Shopping
Online Shopping | In-Store Shopping |
Browse anytime — no opening hours to worry about | Walk away with your purchase immediately |
No awkward small talk or social pressure | Try items on, feel textures, see true colours |
Compare prices across multiple retailers in seconds | Staff can offer personalised advice and recommendations |
Research thoroughly with reviews, photos, and videos | Discover unexpected finds while browsing |
Easy reordering with saved purchase history | Built-in trust: you know the store and who you’re buying from |
So maybe the question isn't really whether online or in-store shopping is better. Maybe it's about having both options available when you need them. And in 2025, that's exactly what most of us have got used to expecting.
What This Means for Online Businesses in 2025
So we've established that online shopping is more popular than ever, with better decision-making, convenience, and global access driving that growth. If you're running an online store, that sounds like great news, right?
Well, yes and no.
Everyone can see that e-commerce is growing, which means everyone wants in. Your local café probably has an online shop now. That friend who makes candles has launched a business. Traditional retailers who swore they'd never need a website are scrambling to get online. As of 2024, there are 30.7 million e-commerce websites worldwide (Doofinder).
That's a lot of competition.
To succeed in this crowded space, understanding your customers inside out is everything.
Generational and Locational Differences in Online Shopping
Age has a massive impact on online shopping habits.
In New Zealand, the growth rates show just how differently each generation is engaging with e-commerce. In 2021, shoppers aged 15–40 increased their online spending by nearly 30% compared to the previous year, with the under-25s leading at 43% growth. The 40–65 group, who make up over a third of online shoppers, saw a solid 20% increase, whilst the much smaller 65+ group grew more modestly at 14% (NZ Post Business IQ, 2021).
But it's not just about how much they're spending, it's about how they're shopping. Each generation has developed completely different expectations and behaviours online.
Gen Z shoppers have grown up with smartphones and usually expect shopping to be visual, social, and instant.
They tend to:
Discover products through TikTok and Instagram → This means, if they are your target audience, you probably need to think about TikTok Shop, working with influencers, or, at minimum, having strong visual content on social media
Consider buying from unknown brands if social proof is strong → Focus on user-generated content and testimonials rather than just talking about how great you are
Care about environmental impact → Excessive packaging or wasteful delivery practices can actually put them off buying.
Millennials are comfortable with online shopping, but like to have lots of details to work with.
They tend to:
Research thoroughly across multiple sites → Your product pages need to be comprehensive and answer every possible question they might have
Read reviews obsessively before buying → You need lots of real customer reviews and lifestyle photos, not just professional shots
Want detailed information and clear return policies → Make your size guides, care instructions, and return process prominent and easy to find
Gen X and older may be a bit less familiar with shopping online and are looking for a lot of trust signals.
They tend to:
Prefer established brands and recognisable websites → Your About page and contact details need to be prominent and professional
Research online but buy in-store → Make sure your phone number is easy to find and your staff know about products people have seen online
Want clear contact information and customer service details → A chatbot isn't always enough - they want to know real humans are available
Location also plays its role in what your customers expect.
For example:
In the UK, Amazon Prime has trained shoppers to expect next-day delivery as standard. Most customers won't wait much longer than 2–3 days for anything, and free shipping is usually expected above a certain price point.
In New Zealand, shipping times of a week are still common and widely accepted. While companies like Mighty Ape are starting to offer same-day delivery in main centres, and services like Uber Eats have set new expectations for faster delivery in certain categories, most customers are still comfortable with slightly longer waits.
So even just between location and generation, customer expectations vary massively. Which is why understanding your specific target audience matters so much. A Gen Z shopper in Auckland needs completely different things from a Gen X shopper in rural UK, and you need to know which one you're talking to.
The key is getting clear on exactly who your customers are, then making sure your online store meets their expectations.
So What Should Online Stores Be Doing in 2025?
All of this change, from how people research to how quickly they expect deliveries, means that just having an online shop is no longer enough. Customers want smooth, trustworthy, and memorable shopping experiences. If your store doesn’t provide that, they’ll move on to one that does.
Here are the areas that matter most right now:
1. Get your mobile experience sorted
In 2023, retail m-commerce sales reached $2.2 trillion, making up 60% of all global e-commerce. By 2027, that figure is expected to grow to $3.4 trillion (Statista).
With so many purchases now happening on mobile, your site needs to work perfectly on smaller screens. Customers might be browsing during a commute, adding items to their cart from the sofa, or buying in quick moments throughout the day. If the mobile experience is clunky, those sales slip away before checkout.
What this looks like:
Fast loading times
Easy, thumb-friendly navigation
A checkout process that takes minutes, not ten steps
Product images that stay sharp on small screens
So test your site on your own phone regularly. If anything annoys you, fix it. Better yet, ask friends and family to try buying something and watch where they get stuck.
2. Invest in consistent, high-quality website content
Great content sells products.
When customers can't touch your products or meet you in person, your website content becomes your best salesperson. It's what builds confidence, answers questions, and convinces people to choose you over your competitors.
What good content looks like:
Product descriptions that preemptively answer the questions customers will ask - like how that dress fits, whether those boots run small, or if that skincare works on sensitive skin. In fact, a 2023 survey showed that 70% of online shoppers say product-page content can be the deciding factor between buying and clicking away.
An About page that tells your story in a way that makes people want to support your business, not just explains when you started
Blog content that solves real problems for your customers whilst showcasing why you're the expert they should buy from
Everything written in the same voice so your brand feels consistent and memorable
If writing isn't your strength, work with a professional copywriter who understands e-commerce. Quality content shows customers you're professional, you know your products inside out, and you're worth their money.
3.Figure out what you're going to be better at than everyone else
You can't compete on everything, so pick your battles.
Maybe it's customer service that goes above and beyond. Maybe it's having the most comprehensive blog. Maybe it's price matching. Whatever it is, make it obvious to customers.
Use your website content to make your promises, and then your operations to deliver on those promises consistently.
Look at your biggest competitors and identify the gaps. What are customers complaining about in their reviews? What questions keep coming up? That's where you can step up and show you’re the one to pick.
4.Keep investing in your online presence
With online shopping more popular than ever, there are more opportunities to reach customers - but you need to actively show up where they're looking. SEO, social media, advertising, marketing - this ongoing work is what keeps bringing new customers to your door.
This needs to be part of your budget, not something you do when you have leftover time or money.
The businesses winning in 2025 (and beyond) are the ones treating marketing and content as seriously as they treat rent or insurance. It's not optional, it's essential.
Looking Forward: Online Shopping Is Here to Stay
So why is online shopping so popular in 2025? Because it's given us something we never had before: the freedom to shop however we want, whenever we want, without compromising on choice or settling for "good enough."
We can research that perfect winter coat for twenty minutes without a sales assistant hovering. We can discover a brilliant small business in rural Denmark that makes exactly what we've been looking for. We can order essentials at midnight in our pyjamas, or we can make a day of browsing the shops with friends when we feel like getting out of the house.
For businesses, this shift opens up incredible opportunities.
The customers are out there, they're excited to discover new businesses, and they're ready to spend money with stores that get it right. This is your moment to meet them exactly where they are.
Key Takeaways: Why Online Shopping Rules in 2025
Decision-making feels easier online — no social pressure, no rushed choices, just time to research, compare, and buy with confidence.
Convenience has reshaped habits — shopping fits around real life, not store hours, and the pandemic accelerated that shift.
Global access means limitless choice — customers can buy from local makers or overseas brands with a few clicks, while businesses face worldwide competition.
The experience has evolved — fast delivery, secure payments, detailed reviews, and mobile shopping have set new standards for what “good” looks like.
It’s not online vs in-store, it’s both — nearly half of shoppers want the option to do each, depending on the situation.
Competition is fierce — with over 30 million e-commerce sites worldwide, businesses need to differentiate through content, service, and customer experience.
Location and generation matter — expectations differ depending on shipping infrastructure and age group, so knowing your audience is crucial.
Winning stores invest — in mobile usability, consistent high-quality content, marketing, and the “one thing” they want to be known for.
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