Consumer Shopping: Then and Now
Since the 1990s, people have been able to skip the mall and shop from the comfort of their home. The popularity of malls and shops have decreased in the age of technology. Though online shopping has existed for nearly 30 years, it wasn’t until the 2000s that they started dying out. Online shops like Amazon and Ebay have made ordering products online easy and quick. Instead of scouring through products between stores, people can order exactly what they want. Because of this, it is predicted that about 25% of malls will close by 2022.
How Digitalization Helps
The experience of going through stores and perusing the aisles seems fun, but the digitalization of shopping is more convenient. Online shopping has an ease of use that is unlike shopping in person. Instead of having to travel to a local store-- which for some people could be an hour drive-- people can order what they need immediately. Digitization is necessary for saving time and money. When people order online, they are able to determine the quality of the product. They can read reviews to find the best item for them.
Another aspect of online shopping that is helpful is the number of products. When people shop in-person there’s always the potential that the item they are looking for will be out of stock. Digital shopping means they can look at a variety of that same product and find the best one that suits their needs. It’s very user-friendly.
Digitalization uses automation techniques to respond to shoppers and make sure they have a decent shopping experience. It also sets it up so they can find what they are looking for in an easy to use way. Digitalization can also be used to help in-person stores find the best products and order items quickly, so they can provide some edge over online stores like Amazon.
Data Science
The ecommerce and shopping world is changing with data. Social media sites like Facebook and Instagram sell their data to stores so they can market products to people who will buy them. Data scientists believe they can help retailers predict what customers will purchase and return with a customer data platform. They obtain actionable insights through the data they collect to help retailers perform and sell better. Technology has seriously changed how people buy, shop and sell.
How In-Person Shopping Can Adapt
Through an app called Spoten, small and medium-sized retail businesses that can’t afford to go online, or don’t have the capacity to do so, can use the same data online shops are using to draw in more customers. With this, these small businesses can understand more about what to expect from their customers and how to stay afloat.
Additionally, they can use this data to determine the current trends in shopping so when customers come knocking, the business will have what they are looking for. Spoten is easy-to-use and will better help small businesses compete with the large, online ones. Consumer shopping has changed with ecommerce and digitalization, but there’s no reason it has to go completely online. People love the shopping experience. With the help of data and Spoten, they won’t have to lose it.
