Against the backdrop of the current trend of online shopping in the nation, some Nigerians have expressed divergent views on the phenomenon, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
In line with the fad, several online stores, including Kaymu, Jumia, depearl, Konga and Paypal, have been launched to service the ever increasing demands of their clients.
In spite of the trendy nature of the craze, some Nigerians still expressed doubts over the development, and told NAN that they would still prefer to shop the traditional way.
While some on the other hand told NAN that online shopping was very convenient for them.
Miss Kemi Adeyiga, the Chief Executive Officer, Unique Collection Boutique, complained that the quality of what was seen online was sometimes different from what was delivered to the client.
“The bag i saw online and ordered was of a higher quality than what was initially brought to me; though it was eventually returned for another.
“Or sometimes they deliver to the wrong address.
A number of people have been scammed through this process,’’she said.
In the same vein, Mrs Katherine Aribofe, a caterer told NAN that she would prefer to physically examine any item that she wanted to purchase, than relying on an online picture.
“What if they now deliver a fairly used item to me after I must have paid for the goods?
“You know that once your money goes, it will take some serious disagreement to get it back, or another item similar to what you ordered delivered to you.
“Online shopping may have its merit, but I prefer to do my shopping the way that I am used, Mrs Aribofe said.
Meanwhile, Chidi Nwosu, a Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) student and an ardent online shopper, told NAN that the traffic gridlock in Lagos forced him to take to online shopping.
Nwosu added that the demanding nature of his lecture schedule at school had made it practically impossible to have the time to go to the regular departmental stores to shop.
“Before you get to the market, the holdup would have taken half of the day from you; so, online shopping is the answer for me.
“Making purchases of your various needs online has so far helped in reducing the stress we go through in getting what we want. Not everyone have the time to step out to purchase what they want.
“Online shopping is very viable for people like me who barely find time for themselves because of work. Online shopping is very progressive in Nigeria,” he said.
Peter Ona, an employee of one of the online companies, who refused to mention the name of the company he worked for, told NAN that they were working hard to overcome their challenges.
“We still have the challenge of wrong addresses supplied by customers who will still complained of delay in delivery of goods to them.
“Our company is among the first set of companies to start online shopping in Nigeria, and we are still trying to improve on the infrastructure we met on ground.
“Customer care is core to us and every online shopping company will do everything possible to make online shopping an amazing experience”.
