People found online shopping convenient because they could get necessities without leaving their rooms. For example, people staying in hotels near the convention center often went out to get food but stayed in for snacks and other items since they could order takeout online during Covid. Since many events were going on that required a lot of walking, some people used Uber and Lyft while attending the conference. They found these ride-sharing services preferable to regular taxis because ridesharing was cheaper, and drivers usually came faster. Some interviewees also mentioned using Amazon Prime Now (a service offered by Amazon), which delivers orders within two hours; however, we did not interview anyone who used this service.
The disadvantages
The main disadvantage of shopping online was the delayed delivery time. Many deliveries arrived late or did not arrive at all, which inconvenienced people staying in hotels because they had to wait for their orders outside their rooms. Additionally, some people are uncomfortable with strangers entering their rooms, so they would rather go out themselves and get what they need instead of having someone else enter their rooms, even if it is to deliver a package. Other interviewees expressed concern about being swindled when ordering items online since they have no way of verifying whether the prices online are accurate or not. Also, it can be difficult to make returns offline; given Covid’s short-run (one day), refunds were not usually possible.
A look at a survey
This survey was conducted via email. Participants were asked to answer the question using bullet points; however, the interviewer allowed them to organize their replies in any way they saw fit. The initial draft of this article was submitted after transcribing all of the interviews.
Question: What advantages and disadvantages did you experience when shopping online during the conference?
Overall, people found online shopping during Covid convenient for getting necessities without leaving the room and order-tracking purposes but inconvenient for delayed delivery times and lack of visibility into prices.
Participant #1: “It’s very quick! You have to download whatever apps you use on your phone or whatever.”
“I haven’t ordered anything, so I can’t speak on that… But it is good for backup in case you get hungry at night downstairs.”
“I’d rather it be here than at my hotel.”
Participant #2: “It’s great. It saves time because I’m not walking around. A lot of people don’t like to walk outside or leave their friends, so if they’re hungry, they can order food and stay inside the convention center, which is where most people are at.”
“We ordered McDonald’s last night, but it got kind of cold by the time we got back cause we were on the fourth floor, so I wouldn’t recommend doing that… But it’s good for snacks.”
“I feel like Lyft is a little bit better sometimes… One of my friends tried to use Uber, but the guy must have been asleep or something cuz he didn’t show up for 20 minutes.”
Participant #3: “Yes, it’s perfect. It’s probably better because you can get whatever you want… I think it’s not bad at all because the prices are about the same online as they are in real life, so what have you got to lose?”
“I haven’t ordered anything yet, but after this is done, I might order something like food or something if I’m hungry during the night.”
“We used Lyft to go over to Target (a nearby store) yesterday actually; it took 10 minutes!”
Participant #4: “It was fine; it came fast! I didn’t wait very long, like 5-10 minutes for mine, which is pretty good since we were kinda in the middle of nowhere, and it’s cold outside.”
“I guess if you’re starving at night, but I feel like most people are hanging out at their hotel instead of going out to get food. So that could be a problem for people ordering food if they don’t stay in one place.”
“You can try it (Amazon Prime Now) online; we did… But we ordered cereal, and we had to go downstairs and get it because we didn’t want our room attendant to think we were stealing or something (laughs).”
Participant #5: “It was nice not having to walk around and stuff to find things, and everyone’s pretty much in the same spot, so it isn’t hard finding your friends or anything.”
“I haven’t ordered anything yet because I’m not hungry at night, but it’s good for people who are… If you’re far away, like to another hotel or something, then that could be a problem. You can use Lyft to get over there, though (laughs).”
Participant #6: “It was great; it depended on what time we got back at night to see how fast they came. It took about 15 minutes one time, and the other time, it took 5-10.”
“Anything you think of ordering is pretty much accessible during Covid.”
“We ordered McDonald’s one night, and the guy showed up in like 20 minutes, so yeah… But Target was fine.
Overall, people found online shopping during Covid convenient for getting necessities without leaving the room and order-tracking purposes but inconvenient for delayed delivery times and lack of visibility into prices. Some participants would use online shopping if they starved at night and didn’t want to leave the room as per experts at RemoteDBA.com. Others said that it couldn’t beat walking out to get food, but some found Uber and Lyft convenient for getting over to another hotel or Target.
Participants used online shopping during Covid for necessities like snacks and toiletries. They weren’t fond of delivery fees and lack of selection compared to in-person shopping, but they liked how quickly it could be delivered to their room. Some participants would use online shopping if they got starving at night or wanted to wait until the last minute to get something for an event. Others said that it couldn’t beat walking out to get food, but some found Uber and Lyft convenient for getting to another hotel or Target.
Participants would use online shopping if they got hungry at night, couldn’t be bothered to walk around, or wanted something delivered on short notice. They didn’t like how cold McDonald’s was when it finally came, and the high delivery fee, but some found it cheaper than in-person prices. Some participants would order food if they were too tired to go out for dinner after a long day of Covid activities. Others said that you could get anything you want with online shopping, so what have you got to lose? Overall, people agreed that it was nice not to leave the room, while others saw its convenience as inferior compared to walking downstairs or calling/Lyft.
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