Analyzing the Benefits of Shopping Online vs. In-Store

Since online stores only need to manage inventory in a warehouse, they don't have the same facility costs that brick-and-mortar stores do. One "store" can serve all consumers instead of having to expand nationally to establish a presence. This allows online merchants to focus on price, as their fundamental operating costs are typically lower. They can also often directly order from manufacturers, avoiding the middleman that many brick-and-mortar stores must contend with.