Online Shopping: Shopping Isn’t What It Used to Be
Two things never change: One, there’s always change; and two, young people are the first to embrace any change. They are the first to adopt new technology and follow new trends. The older we are, the slower we are to accept and adapt to change. And, online shopping is one of the big, technology-driven changes that many people find really unwelcome.
Yet, it stands to reason that the younger you are, the more likely you are to actually prefer online shopping to brick-and-mortar shopping.
Research shows that the percentages of physical store shoppers dramatically drops for the youngest age group in the market:
- Baby Boomers (54 – 72 year-olds) at 31.9%
- Gen X (39 – 53 year-olds) at 27.5%
- Millennials (24 – 38 year-olds) at 31.04%
- Gen Z (4-23 year-olds) at 9.6%
Wow, only 9.6% of Gen Z’ers shop in physical stores.
I can tell you first hand that my 15-year-old has no interest in shopping at a physical store. This young man shops online for food, clothes, birthday gifts, basically everything. He does not understand the need to hold a book and flip through its pages. He doesn’t need to touch fabrics. Physical touch is apparently so old school!
And we clearly see that even with the older age groups, the number of in-store shoppers is now below one third.
Clearly, online shopping is one of those changes that’s here to stay. According to the Harvard Business Review, no industry is failing faster than retail!
The 125-year-old Sears—once the world’s largest retailer—filed for bankruptcy. And we have major chains shutting their stores all across the country: Macy’s, Sears, Toys ‘R’ Us, Kmart, Kohl’s, The Limited, and Barnes & Noble to name a few.
On the flip side, e-commerce grew 22% in 2019 and it’s not slowing down.
Do You Still Want to See, Touch, and Try Before You Buy? Think Again!
So what do you do if you’re one of those hold-outs? One of those in the dwindling percentage that prefers brick-and-mortar stores?
Personally, I’m a fan of online shopping. I rely heavily on it when shopping for myself and my clients. My advice is for you to consider the advantages of online shopping and:
Have more success shopping online
When I am looking for a specific type of clothing item for myself or a client, I can search for the size, favorite brand, color and style. I can search not just in one store but across all stores. I have a much higher likelihood of finding exactly what I want. If you live on the East Coast and the only store that has what you want is on the West Coast? No problem!
Shop more options online
Small brands compete with big brands online, and that brings innovation to the market. For example, I have a client with hard-to-fit feet. In the past this would have mean’t taking her on a tiresome shopping expedition, going from store to store in search of the brand and style that would work for her. Now with online shopping, we are able to buy many brands, have them shipped, try them on all in the comfort of her home, and return what doesn’t suit her. Even better, I found a company that can custom make shoes to fit her feet in any style or color she wants! How awesome is that?
Find the best price
Once I find what I am looking for, I do an Internet-wide search to check if it’s available anywhere else for less. I’m always frugal, and if I’m shopping for a client, she saves money.
Get it faster!
When you consider how much time it takes to schedule a shopping day and go around to multiple physical stores, you just can’t beat online delivery times. And don’t worry—that no longer means underpaid, overworked staff are running around a warehouse to serve you. It also doesn’t necessarily mean more carbon emissions as things are delivered. Amazon is on the leading edge of package delivery systems—they expect to use drones to deliver 75%-90% of their packages in North America by the 2019 holiday shopping season.
Enjoy better customer service
In physical stores, we experience the broad spectrum of human interactions. We encounter service personnel in good moods and bad moods, with pleasant personalities and not-so-pleasant personalities. With online shopping, automation is taking over much of this role. It is expected that 85% of all customer interactions will be handled online with no need of a human by 2020.
Automation is efficient and responsive. It never gets irritated with you; so you can stay calm, too. Yes, automation means job loss for some, and we must honor that with our attention. But it does also present new opportunities for others. Technological advances have always changed the way humans work, and historically we have adapted. We will all eventually adapt to online shopping too.
Source more ethically when online shopping
Have you seen my Ethical Ensembles™ Encyclopedia? I am a huge advocate for understanding who made our clothes and how they were made. Sadly, the fashion industry is a major contributor to modern slave labor. Much of our clothing is made in factories under sub-human conditions by women and children who are paid well below a living wage.
These same clothes are made with dyes that pollute the planet and fabrics that overload our landfills. Please download the Encyclopedia to learn everything you need to know about the labor and sustainable practices behind the clothes you buy and the stores you buy them from!
Persuaded Yet that Online Shopping is a Good Thing?
As a professional shopper, I embrace online shopping because it:
- allows me to shop whenever I want from the comfort of my home
- lets me find virtually anything I need to buy
- gives me the opportunity to buy with confidence that my choice is the most economical and the most ethical
Let’s Hear From You
What do you love about online shopping? What is still holding you back?
I’d love to get your thoughts on the topic in the Comment section below.
Stay Tuned
In my next blog, I’ll cover tips and techniques for getting the best experience from online shopping. If you’re not converted yet, maybe my next blog will nudge you to the other side. If you’re already converted, you might learn something that will make you love online shopping even more.
