IntroductionWhen Amazon.com launched its online retail strategy in 1995 and began reaping benefits, many analysts viewed doing business and shopping online with great optimism (Denise, 2004). They waited for the day when people could order their grocery items from the comfort of their homes. As a result, customers would see little to no need to physically visit traditional stores to make their purchases. It's now been a decade and a half and online shopping has taken the business world by storm with more and more companies choosing to test the sweet waters of online retail. Analysts expect rapid growth in online shopping over the next decade or so, although some reports still show a significant number of consumers around the world who have never attempted to shop online. The growing popularity of online shopping highlights the presence of some advantages that are not available in traditional shopping. At the same time it alludes to the existence of differences between the two types of purchases. This paper will discuss the growth of online shopping around the world and provide statistical evidence of this growth in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom. It will also need to clarify the differences between online shopping and traditional shopping. The Internet has significantly transformed the way consumers purchase goods or services. While traditional in-store shopping is still dominant in some industries in various countries, it has done little to increase the convenience, efficiency and ease of shopping and travel arrangements. According to a survey conducted by the Nielsen Company in March 2010, there are some products that are universally purchased online... middle of paper... shoppers need to keep up to date with ever-changing technology. On the other hand, the technology used to facilitate traditional in-store shopping has remained the same for many years and does not change as often as it does in online shopping. Online shopping is not dependent on geographic location as transactions can take place across borders. As a result, access to items offered by retailers is not hindered by factors related to geographic location. In other words, local, regional or international consumers can shop anywhere in the world via the Internet. On the other hand, traditional shopping is limited by geographical considerations. As a result, the number of customers who can access the premises can be strongly determined by the location (differences between online retail and traditional retail businesses, 2007).