Ever since the advent of the Internet at the end of the last century, people’s shopping habits have changed considerably. We no longer need to go to a bricks-and-mortar retail establishment to shop. We can do it online. Online shopping and e-commerce has grown dramatically over the past two decades. Experts believe that it won’t be long before more than half of all retail sales are carried out online.
Purchasing tobacco for roll-your-own cigarettes and pipes is no exception. There are literally hundreds of online stores that sell tobacco products.
Buying from online tobacco stores  has some advantages compared to going to your local shop or supermarket. Lets have a look at some of them:
Buying tobacco products online – advantages
Customer reviews
The Internet is full of forums, consumer groups, discussion clubs, etc., where shoppers can read about different products. Customer reviews are great places to compare products and find out what’s new in the marketplace.
Customer reviews can save you having to try out different tobacco products yourself. Trial-and-error can be great fun, but it can be very time-consuming. There is also a risk that you don’t try some products which might have turned out to be your favorite.
Convenient
It is human nature to seek the easiest, simplest, and fastest way to do things. Online shopping could not be more convenient. From the comfort of your living room or office desk, you can purchase tobacco products at any time of night or day.
You don’t have to stand in line in a busy shop. All you need is a credit or debit card and an address. Most online stores today have drop-off points if you do not want to use your home address.
Easy returns
Most tobacco product retailers allow you to return your purchases if you find something wrong with them. The packaging may have become damaged or it may have passed the product’s expiry date.
If you tell the online store that your purchase had a defect, they will usually give you the choice of sending it back or receiving a replacement. If you send it back, they will give you a refund.
Big Discounts
Online shops have much lower costs than real-life stores. Many of them pass on these savings to their customers. In other words, they sell at lower prices compared to their bricks-and-mortar counterparts.
Most countries today have hefty taxes levied on tobacco products. Therefore, price matters a lot to consumers.
Wide range of products
You can usually find a much wider range of tobacco products online than you can if you walk down to your local shop. You are also less likely to be told that the store has run out of your preferred brand.
The Internet has changed how we shop, do business, communicate with one another, socialize, find dates, study, and spend our leisure time.
The retail sector one hundred years ago consisted of clusters of shops in downtown areas and sub-clusters in other parts of town. Then, in the middle of the twentieth century, out-of-town shopping malls started to appear, which led to inner-city decay.
Now, shopping malls are struggling as people switch to shopping online. What will the retail landscape be like in fifty or one-hundred years time?