Will Cyber Malls Ever Replace Commercial Shopping Malls?

I love shopping online whenever I have 'things' to buy. Things that do not really require that I feel and touch them. For example, I bought a SMART watch recently and while it took more than 20 days to arrive, I did not have to worry about whether will the straps fit my wrist or do I like the texture of the strap and so on.

To me, a watch is a watch, once I choose the color that I like as well as the functions that come with it, I have no qualms about buying it on the spot. :D Am I not afraid of getting scam? Of course I do.

But these days, with all the latest cyber security watchdogs, technologies and anti-scam guidelines and policies in place, payment gateways like Paypal are making it a breeze for online shoppers like me to carry out online retail transactions.

If the stuff I ordered does not arrive within the allocated time frame, I could either ask for a refund with the customer service or file a dispute with Paypal (make sure it is within 45 days from purchase date) if there is no response from them. It is that simple and straightforward now, no jumping through hoops to get your money back.

Did you know that I even have most of my groceries and toiletries shopped online and delivered to my door step? Hint: try Fairprice Online.

While shopping online is all good and rosy, there are still 'things' that are not recommended to buy online. For example, clothing, shoes, anything that requires you to touch and wear to make the ultimate buying decision.

I have been burnt many times purchasing clothing online only to find out that they did not fit me or my kiddo at all. It is challenging to determine the right size and fitting from just glancing at the online retailer's online images. You may be asking - why can't you just return it??

Well, the hassle of returning them back to the online retailer is never easy and moreover, we have to pay for the return shipping fees too. For me, I would rather either resell it on places like eBay or Gumtree. :D

These days if you ever see me at the malls, the shoes and clothing departments are probably the only 2 sections I will be in. And obviously you will still get to see me pushing trolleys inside Supermarkets like the Japanese one at Marina Square.

Have you been there yet?

After all is said and done, I would still go retail shopping for things that cannot be bought online but at least with the existence of cyber malls, I no longer have to suffer the agony of queuing up for something that can be purchased online.