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Where Offline Shopping Beats Online Today
Does online shopping always beat offline? Absolutely not. Here are a few examples of where offline trumps online shopping today.
But first, a shout-out to online: While shopping for new running shoes on Amazon last night, I was able to filter by size so I didn't waste time comparing shoes that didn't fit me. That is ALL I need to see since everything else is completely irrelevant for me. Sure, some shoe warehouse type stores display all of their inventory by size but that's the exception today. What a waste of time it is to have to ask humans whether they could check their stock to see if they have a particular model in your size?
Offline Beating Online Shopping
1. Dealing with Disappointment: What happens when a product is out of stock online? You'll often find a page telling you the product is out of stock, or worse yet, you may hit a 404 error page. Not good. Compare that to offline where you can probably glance left or right to find comparable products that are in stock.
2. Negotiable Pricing: Offline stores are great for cutting deals. Explain to a salesperson that you're willing to buy a lot of something for a fair discount and you'll have a good chance of getting it. Online negotiation is nearly impossible today beyond buying enough to receive free shipping.
3. Proactive help: Few things are more frustrating than being in a store that you know carries a specific item that you can't seem to find. Personally, I run into this most often at the grocery store when picking up recipe items. In the offline world, a staff member can usually point me in the right direction in a matter of seconds. Beyond that, great staff members will identify frustrated shoppers and proactively help them through their buying mission. This is an experience that, so far, hasn't translated well to the web where it may be needed even more than offline.
4. Bundling: If you go into Best Buy and pick out a digital camera, a salesperson will surely ask you whether you'd like to pick up a case, extra battery, extra storage, tripod, extended service plan, photo printer, laptop, Photoshop, etc. Why? For one, because they make more money if you spend more. But it's also a service to the customer to make sure they leave with everything they're going to need to truly enjoy their new camera. Some retail sites offer bundles, such as Amazon, but few have been able to translate the "Why?" of buying bundles to the web that come naturally in an offline transaction.
Of course, the majority of the offline wins above depend on dealing with helpful and well-trained employees, which seems to be the exception rather than the norm these days.
What's your take? Are there any that you'd add or remove from this list?
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2. Posted by: Rave Dome on April 8, 2008 7:56 AM:
let's not forget about the newly emerging channels of sales. The telecom company that I work for also sells through email request and online chat. This is in addition to brick and mortar, door to door, and call-in. In the future, video chat will eliminate all of the advantages you speak of.
3. Posted by: Rave Dome on April 8, 2008 8:04 AM:
does anyone have the link to the google 3d application you wrote about a few weeks ago?
4. Posted by: Rave Dome on April 8, 2008 8:10 AM:
One day video chat will eliminate all of the advantages that you are referring to here. The telecom company that i work for already takes orders through live chat, and email. In addition to brick and mortar, online orders, door to door, other utility companies, call-in, etc.
5. Posted by: Bruce on April 8, 2008 8:17 AM:
By day, I'm a technology worker, and by night I sell tools and Lawn/Garden equipment at Sears. I see both sides of this equation. A significant advantage to brick and mortar is the physicality. The customer can actually see and experience the product.
Case in point: I took a return the other day from a young lady on a lawnmower purchased online. It never left the store because when she arrived to pick it up it "wasn't what she expected."
6. Posted by: ryan l on April 8, 2008 8:38 AM:
One day video chat will eliminate all of the advantages that you are referring to here...
video chat....how on earth are all the "Chads" and "Bill's" that I speak to in Bangalore to survive?
7. Posted by: Nio on April 11, 2008 1:34 AM:
1-For things like clothes, you can actually try them on to see if they fit and how they look before you buy them.
2-Shopping can be a social experience in the physical world. Not much fun inviting friends over to surf shopping sites together.
3-Excellent exercise.
Nio Green lasers rulz
8. Posted by: James on April 11, 2008 6:11 PM:
If a product is out of stock online you can always call them of contact them to ask when it will be avaliable again. Most of the time etailers do hold more than enough stock and have systems to tell them automatically to order new stock before they run out!
If you do find an etailer out of stock on the item you are looking for - so be it, at least you have not wasted you time driving to the shops only to be dissapointed, wasting money on travel and contributing to gloabal warming in the process!
In relation to negotiable pricing. YES you will find better deals online most often. You talk about purchasing multiples of the item you want to get a better deal. But what if you only want one item? Trying to get a better deal than an etailer in this way is simply a false econnomy.
On my website you can find many deals of up to 80% off many products! Thats 80% off ONE product that you want to buy. You will find it difficult to get a better deal than that offline, no matter how many of the item you buy.
Proactive help. I agree with you on this one but do remember that there is nothing stopping you from emailing or calling an etailer for help.
Bundling. On many websites (etailers) show an extra feature telling you "people who purchased this item also purchased" and a list of items below is displayed. This is a better experience because it reminds you that "Oh yes I will need that as well" instead of having a pushy sales person tring to pry you away from your hard earned cash. REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE TRYING TO SAVE MONEY HERE!
www.memosend.com - amazing deals on a massive range of products from over 585 online reputable retailers.
SENDING YOU IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
Kind Regards
James
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1. Posted by: ryan l on April 7, 2008 3:06 PM:
Guilt/Emotion/Body Language
If a website rips you off there is no one person you can go back to and give "the stink eye" to. When you ask a real person if they think that product X is right for you? Generally you see subtle hints/ body language. Machines deal in absolutes. E-tailers try and overcome this with testimonial/user reviews but many of these are manipulated also.
Simply put:
A human salesman displays emotion, websites do not.