The Future of Online Shopping
Let's face it, in another 30 years or so, today's idea of a "typical" shopping trip to the store will be very different. Each year, online merchants such as amazon.com, target.com, macys.com and zappos.com report an increase in online revenues sales.
In order to mimic the real-world shopping frenzy of "Black Friday", the marketing industry has created a "Cyber Monday" with hopes of maximizing online sales. Granted, the concept of cyber Monday is still catching on, but everything in the world of the World Wide Web is moving and positioning itself toward an easier online shopper experience.
For the last 10 years, the biggest drawback of the e-commerce experience has been the inability of retailers/web developers to present the “touch and feel” option to the shoppers. A large part of our shopping experience consists of picking up the product and experiencing it first hand. Whether it’s feeling the swing of a new driver at the golf store, or trying on a brand new pair of shoes, having a “touch and feel” sensation makes a difference between buying an item at hand or continuing to “think” about it. The latest announcement in the tech industry is the Photosimile 5000, which bills itself as the world’s first office “3D photography machine” that allows users to create 3D images of products. Now retailers can easily make 3D videos of their merchandise, which, in turn, will bring shoppers closer to the much preferred “touch and feel” experience.
Now, I’m not saying that online shopping will completely replace the big box retail outlets and eliminate the uncontrollable urge of the impulse buy, but as technology develops the ability to recreate the “buy” factors, shoppers will move more of their spending dollars online.