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There are several factors to consider before coming to a conclusion, some going each way, but in the end there can only be one conclusion: no, online is not better.

In this age of the internet and computers, everything can be done online. Share pictures, communicate via text, voice, or video, banking, stock trading, reading the news, and everything else. People seem to think that anything on the internet is better than real life. In most cases, that is probably true. Why drive to the bank to move money when you can log in and do it from home? Why develop, print, and mail pictures to your relatives when you can just e-mail them? Why pay for a newspaper when you can access all the news in the world for free at your desk? Everything is better online, right?

Wrong. Perhaps one of the very few things left that is better in person is shopping. There are some aspects of online shopping that are terrific: no crowds, no closing time, unlimited selection, no pesky sales people. Those are all terrific advantages of shopping online, and if the item in question is rare, online shopping might be the only way to go. But there are a few major drawbacks to shopping on the internet that make the real thing better.

There is no substitute for seeing a product in person. Online the best companies can do is pictures, usually only from the front and possibly one other angle. Interactive 3D animations are becoming more popular, but they rarely have the level of detail people want. Sure, and HDMI cable can be purchased online without much worry, but what about shoes? Pants? Any type of clothing? Companies vary their sizing and buying online basically means guessing what size will be the best fit. Televisions can't be seen, radios can't be heard, and products can't be felt or tested for durability or quality. Once the item has been paid for, the consumer has to hope that the item that arrives is what they were hoping for.

Which bring us to a second drawback to online shopping: shipping. Some sites may have overnight shipping or even same day if the product is ordered early enough, but the cost is often prohibitive. Any savings from finding a deal on the internet would be lost in shipping. Many companies do offer free shipping, but that would typically mean waiting for 5-8 business days. For many people, buying something online and then waiting for almost two weeks to get the product negates al the advantages of online shopping.

While the internet is fantastic for an almost infinite variety of activities and services, shopping for consumer products is something that is best left to physical stores. Perhaps some future technology will be able to change that, but for now virtual shopping looses to real shopping.

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