The world of online shopping is one that I am a self proclaimed addict of. When I am shopping in a store I almost always feel like my purchases are impulse buys. I always convince myself that I really need the item only to realize later that I didn't really NEED the item. Also, when shopping in stores, you can never compare things with other stores. I can never decide which I like better and which is the better deal.
I have worked retail at The Gap for almost a year and I have now come to enjoy shopping less. I feel so guilty looking through everything because then I will make so much work for the employees and I would hate to know I contributed to their bad days. While working in The Gap, I would eye the customers who would walk around picking things up and completely taking them out of their perfectly folded state and then throwing them back on to the pile. As a shopper, it is your right to look through everything in the store. However, for those who have worked retail, shopping becomes less enjoyable because you are always trying to make things look exactly as they did before you touched them. I go into the fitting rooms, try something on, then hang them, zip them, button them, tie them exactly as I picked them up. Shopping becomes work instead of leisure.
I have found that shopping online lets me really think about what I want and shop around. I spend as much time on the sites and revisit them as much as I want. Right now there are about ten things I am really considering buying online but I just haven't made the decision about what the most reasonable purchase is. I know I will not be swayed by employees trying to convince me to buy something and I don't feel bad going through the entire store looking at everything.
If you looked at the conversion rate of a web site in comparison to the conversion rate of a retail store it would be clear which does the best business. While working at The Gap, we often aimed to have our conversion at around 50%. Since the Internet is much more easily accessible more people can look. However, less people tend to buy because there is no pressure. There isn't anyone waiting on you or telling you that the dress looks amazing on your body. Some people need reassurance before they commit to buying something which is taken care of by employees. Social retailing yields higher profits. Although people are turning more and more to the Internet for shopping there will always be a need for personal interaction in the marketplace.
3 comments:
While there is an unseen need for social marketing, I feel that it is becoming less important in our high-tech era. People are becoming more independent these days, and are thus less inclined to care about the opinion of others. Sure, we care what others think about what we wear and therefore want advice on what we buy in the store, but we are ever more likely to be confident in our own decisions. We know that what we choose will be acceptable. Now, I know that I am generalizing, but I feel that this is a trend.
just testing, cocomment
just testing, co-comment
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