People in the UK have really taken to shopping online – as many as 9 billon of them! There are many reasons for this that parallels those of shoppers in the U.S. Of course, the primary appeal is convenience. The UK is an island and most cities are congested and offer little parking. Online shopping avoids this problem, there is no traffic to fight, no store hours to worry about, and shopping online is usually faster than standing in line or waiting to pay for parking.

Choice is another positive factor - the consumer is more likely to find it online than in one store and will have a choice of items online that they would have to visit several retailers to rival. Internet retailers can and do carry a huge inventory. Also, the Internet is the perfect avenue for small specialty retailers who offer unique, ethnic and hand made items. Information is another positive factor. Information about the product of interest is readily available on line and it is simple to comparison shop for the item you decide upon.

Here are even websites that will search and compare prices for you. Kelkoo is one website that offers this service and is a retailer with a huge selection of well priced goods in its own right. Online retailers can generally offer a better price than conventional retailers who must factor rent and storage into their prices. Online retailers have limited storage, no rent and can often ship directly from the warehouse.

All of these reasons give virtual retailers a lower overhead and they can pass these savings on to the consumer. It is estimated that the cost for items such as books and music are 9 to 16 percent lower online. Nowadays shopping online is very safe. Modern encryption devices make your credit card transactions safer than shopping in person and taking the chance of encountering a pickpocket on the tube!

Shopping online can be done at anytime and at school, home or at the office. Hardcore shoppers can place orders through their cell phones, if they have the right model that offers Internet hook-ups.

Here are some disadvantages to shopping online in the United Kingdom. He first drawback is delivery of the purchase. Many sites still use traditional carriers and don't deliver at night or at weekends. Often a shopper ends up having to go and collect their purchase from a depot, which eliminates the convenience aspect. But a bigger problem exists with returns, which add up to additional transport charges, meaning a bargain isn't as cheap as it seems.

Returning a purchase means having to parcel it up and take it down to the post office. However, returns are an expensive problem with traditional shopping. Even when items are tried on in the store, they often look different when gotten home due to different lighting or comments from family members. This results in extra transportation costs and parking fees. Finally, the biggest negative that UK shoppers report regarding shopping online is that they buy more. Because of the convenience and huge choice, it's very easy to buy and spend more then they intended to.