IELTS Writing Task 2
Buying things on the Internet, such as books, air tickets and groceries, is becoming more and more popular.
Do the advantages of shopping in this way outweigh the disadvantages?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
You should write at least 250 words.
The advent of electronic commerce has flattened the world and brought power to every single click of the computer mouse by customers. It is more and more prevalent for the netizens to purchase their necessities like books, plane tickets, and even groceries online. Although this trend does come with the downside, I believe the sunny side of is way more well recognized.
The demerits of online shopping are palpably obvious. First, information hack is an existential threat people have to be alert about at all time to make sure they do not fall victims of online dark traps for careless input of information without meticulous checks of the window they are typing their account information in. Also, the revelation of personal email addresses and phone numbers also enlist them as potential mailboxes for email-marketing, or telephone- marketing, which is a great nuisance at times. Second, the mismatch between the real product and its web-based descriptions can drive the purchasers crazy when they are in the conundrum of urgent need of the item and also urgent need of exchanging it for another product. The incompatibility can range from colour distortion, paper quality, or faulty designs.
However, the merits of Internet shopping are undeniable. With the booming of e-commerce platforms like Amazon.com and alibaba.com, together with a plethora of mobile applications like lazada, shoppee, or sendo, the purchase is done more easily than ever before. Indeed, price comparison, delivery to the doorstep, and 24/7 access to the stores make even intercontinental buying more convenient than one can imagine. Also, the time saving attribute is a selling point for e-commerce in this hectic life when it saves travel time to shops or malls. Moreover, The whole product portfolios with pictorial and video demonstrations are also available and polished in the user –friendly way to ease the buying process. Besides, prices are cut down thanks to the elimination of leasing of office, physical stores, and showrooms to display products.
In conclusion, both positive and negative sides of online shopping are well acknowledged, but I am still in favour of the benefits it can bring to this increasingly busy world thanks specifically to the time-saving attribute. (361 words)
