In plain English
It means the item can be bought through internet-based sales channels. This status excludes physical shops and any other offline way of buying it.
In context
Here, it communicates that the item is purchasable through the website and not through physical stores or other offline channels.
- Situation
- Browsing product availability, variants, stock, condition, and seller information
- What it communicates
- labels the item as purchasable through the website rather than physical stores.
Meaning limits
By itself, this status does not say whether the item is in stock, what condition it is in, or which seller offers it.
Examples
“The winter catalogue listed the lamp as online only, so customers could not buy it in the shop.”
“If a style is online only, order it through the website instead of asking for it at the counter.”