In the past years, online shopping has changed the way we shop, from shopping in person to shopping with a simple click of a button, right from the comfort of our homes. With the growing popularity of online shopping, digital marketing and advertising have grown dramatically and infiltrated our everyday internet use.
Online shopping has grown gradually over the years, in 2023 worldwide e-commerce sales reached $5.82 trillion. This number is set to increase over the next couple of years. The convenience of browsing, comparing prices, and purchasing items with a few taps has made it a daily part of everyday life.
But it wasn’t just the convenience that led to the growing popularity of online shopping. The rise of digital marketing, powered by algorithms, and data collection has made online shopping appealing to consumers. Consumers are presented online with ads based on browsing history, purchase history, and location.
The explosion of digital advertising has turned social media platforms, websites, and apps into advertising ecosystems where products are showcased. Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and other platforms have become key factors in this. Ads are not just pop-ups on the side of the screen anymore. Now they have been shown as sponsored posts and even personal recommendations from influencers on the app. Influencers promote everything from makeup to fitness gear, to home gadgets. However, the increase in sales generated from these recommendations has sellers paying them to advertise. This could cause said influencers to lie and spread false information to persuade consumers to buy an item and make it seem like a good product.
With advertisements infiltrating the internet and social media platforms, some like the idea, and others do not. A school-wide survey was conducted from Dec 4th through Dec 9th. 53.8% of total responses said that they like being presented with items to buy while scrolling through social media. “I like being shown stuff to buy because I like to shop it is something that I enjoy.” Sophomore Mahala Kemp said. On the other hand, 46.2% of the total responses said they did not like being presented with items. Sophomore Hope Mathis said, “I personally dislike it when I’m scrolling through TikTok or Instagram and every other post is an ad or is someone trying to sell me stuff. It just gets annoying when I’m just trying to watch something and the next three videos are ads that are trying to sell me something random that I don’t need.”
Online shopping rates are expected to increase over the next years, and with new technology advancements on the rise, the shopping world and the way we shop is expected to change with it.
