While Time Ticks Away, The Web
Clicks Today…
From brick to click,
technology has played a major role towards our shopping behaviors which has
enabled consumers to buy efficiently and conveniently. But what do our shoppers
prefer most?
ONLINE vs.
OFFLINE
The Internet…
The internet was
developed by a team of experts in the mid 1980s and it is the most powerful and
widely used tool that consumers can access. The internet has advanced in such a
way that has allowed consumers to feel as if they were psychically in the store.
In addition, it has improved to become such a “user friendly” tool in regards
to sizing and measurements, variety of colors and fabrications, customer
service, existing consumer reviews, and tracking and shipping details.
How has the Internet affected online sales?
From a consumer
perspective, the internet has introduced hundreds of thousands of shopping
websites with the benefit of purchasing lower priced merchandise that most
Brick and Motor locations could not compete with. Purchasing online has also
provided consumers the benefit of shopping at his/her convenience. After a
brief conversation with Fashion Business student Karen Kubari from George Brown
College, I had asked her how the internet has changed her shopping patterns and
she reported, “I barely go in store to buy clothes nowadays because everything
just seems too expensive compared to what you can find online. Sometimes I will
find a blouse similar to one I would see in store for a cheaper price.” According
to Consumerreports.org, readers were asked about their shopping experiences at
52 shopping websites. As a result, online shopping scored high marks. “Survey
respondents were highly satisfied with 84 percent of their purchases when
visiting shopping websites. But not all sites made the cut. Lower-rated
shopping websites were faulted for value, checkout, shipping, and customer
support”, reported by consumer reports.
How does the internet affect Brick and Motor
locations?
Brick and Motor
locations provide shoppers with the advantage of browsing, critiquing, having
the help of an associate and most of all, trying on the merchandise. According
to a January 18, 2012 article by BizReport author, Helen Laggatt, has stated
that after conducting a Shopping Trends survey for consumers between the ages
of 18-25 years old, 68% indicated that brick and motor shopping is the most
ideal shopping method. Eighty-eight percent of this group reported that such
social media websites like Facebook does not encourage them to buy as they
prefer to physically see, touch or try on the merchandise. “Despite their
ownership of mobile technology, just 23% use smartphones or tablets to shop”, says
Helen Laggatt, Author of Bizreport article.
Although
shopping offline could benefit shoppers in regards to touch, feel, fit, and
face to face communication with associates, not always do shoppers make the
purchase. Often shoppers tend to walk out with no purchase made because the
price isn’t right. Let’s look at a few pros and cons of online and offline
shopping.
Pros and Cons of Online Shopping
Pros:
1) Convenient:
Consumers are able to shop at their own leisure.
2) Saves
Money: With more than one million shopping websites, the internet provides
consumers cheaper shopping websites in which they can save more than usually
spent.
3) No
pressure: Consumers are not pressured into buying product as they purchase
whenever they please.
Cons:
1) Not
always user-friendly: Consumers may experience delays with customer support
teams.
2) Risk
giving personal information: Making
online purchases require credit cards which can be risky as you’re exposing
your credit card number to someone else.
3) Risk
of delivery: Consumers
risk seeing the product psychically which could result in poor quality upon
delivery.
Pros and Cons of offline shopping
Pros:
1) Consumers
can physically shop: Shoppers have the benefit of inspecting product before
purchasing.
2) Communicate
with real associates: Shoppers have the benefit of communicating with sales
associates then and there without taking a number or being directed to a
customer support line.
3) Variety
of payment methods: Customers have the benefit of using any method of payment,
mostly debit, credit and/or cash.
Cons:
1)
Mostly expensive for what it’s worth: Many
retailers price their merchandise too high for what the quality is worth.
2)
Locations may be out of convenience: Consumers
may feel irritated going out of their way to make a purchase.
3)
Limited with size and quantity: Consumers may
feel frustrated trying to find a size that fits them.
What do consumers prefer?
Although shoppers may find a better price using the internet,
consumers would rather feel the real customer service, and natural environment
retailers offer. According to a June 8, 2012, article by Marketing
Chart, it states, “Customers prefer to be acknowledged in-store rather than via
digital channels”. Based on a survey conducted, on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 =like
the most, 1 =like the least), Canadian consumers rated special treatment in store
with the highest score of 3.4. Most consumers prefer being acknowledged
especially if they are of “high status”. In addition, long-term customers are
highly valued and would not be treated as so via online customer support teams.
