Online Shopping and it's Benefits The Internet has completely revolutionized the retail shopping industry. With online shopping, the consumer now has many different ways to shop without ever having to leave the comfort of their own home. Prior to the Internet, catalog sales were the only way that people could shop from their recliner while seated in front of the television. The choices you had were limited to the catalogs with which you had a subscription. Online shopping has revolutionized the way people are shopping from home. The Consumer Controls The Online Shopping Industry With the creation of the Internet, competitive shopping and pricing has taken a complete turn for the consumer. As a consumer that uses the Internet for most of my personal and gift shopping, I have learned to price compare through visits to web sites of retail outlets, major discount markets, shopping forums such as craigslist and auction companies like ebay.Online shopping provides multiple resources for the consumer price and product compare with multiple retail outlets. This freedom is the boost that keeps the online shopping industry gaining in popularity. Retail Outlets And Online Markets Compete For Business With the wide range of online shopping outlets, I can actively seek a price that I want to pay for an item, rarely do I pay full retail price for anything. I can go online shopping at a major toy store and gather information on the retail cost of the gifts or items I want to purchase. I can then go to discount online outlets or auction sites and price shop for the items. Without ever leaving my home, I can shop and compare for nearly every purchase that I want to make.