When Late Night Shopping Turns Ugly...
It's that time of year again! The Christmas lights have just been turned on and late night shopping has begun!
I thought I'd give the shops a go last Thursday and stay for the big turn on of the Christmas lights, but I lasted about 20 minutes.
It was akin to a battlefield, masses of people consumed the streets and it was a strenuous task to get anywhere. Maybe I should have anticipated this and taken my shield to fight through the crowds. So, this year that will be my last late night shopping experience.
Compared to some though, I got off lightly! The Black Friday sales held in the US last Friday turned ugly when one wild shopper pepper sprayed 10 others during a scramble for deals!
If like me, you want your limbs intact for Christmas you might consider online shopping from the comfort of your sofa with a hot mulled wine in hand.
It seems I'm not the only one, with IMRG reporting that they also estimate £7.75bn will be spent online during the 5-week shopping month of December (starting w/c 28th November).
I'm Not Lazy...
Where the comfort and ease of online shopping might be seen by some as 'lazy,' I object. Granted, comfort is a factor for me, but online shopping also provides a huge range of benefits that high street shopping doesn't.
Just take discount sites such as Groupon or LivingSocial, they offer locally targeted deals online and give you the chance to buy them through their App or website. You then receive the voucher and are given the option to 'share' the deal with your friends on social networks.
They even offer a deal within a deal...if you suggest your favourite deals to friends and they buy the deal you recommended you can either get money off your next deal or in some cases you'll get it completely free!
IMRG found that 56% of people would buy from an unfamiliar brand if offered the right deal at the right time, providing retailers with huge opportunities to target new consumers.
Rise of the Machines
Smart phones and e-commerce provides consumers with a range of options allowing them to react to issues and opportunities and moving between channels and networks in order to secure the best deal.
Consumers use their device to compare the best prices and deals on offer; they read reviews on a product or react to incentives through mobile marketing or social networks.
IMRG reported that 1 in 4 consumers have accessed the Internet from their smart phones whilst shopping.
The eCSI study reported on IMRG, also found that over a quarter (27%) of those doing their shopping online will access the Internet from their smartphone to browse and buy, whilst 9% will use their tablet to do the same.
The F Word
With sites such as Groupon and LivingSocial giving consumers the chance to share deals with friends and social networking sites such as Facebook giving you the opportunity to share your 'Likes' or favourite products, there has been an huge influx of retailers using Facebook to connect with customers.
I don't know about you, but if a friend of mine has 'Liked' something, I'd be more inclined to take a look and click through than I would on an online advert. I trust my friends, if it's good enough for them to 'Like' then it's worth taking a look.
F-Commerce has grown by 8.8% in just 4 months. Additionally, 12% of social media users have been encouraged to make a purchase from a Facebook store after seeing something on the site, according to the latest eCustomerServiceIndex (eCSI) results from eDigitalResearch and IMRG. With 25% of online consumers now logging onto Facebook more than once a day, there's a huge opportunity for retailers.
I'm not saying that online shopping will take over traditional methods, as many of us enjoy browsing the stores themselves, but this Christmas I'd like to avoid the crowds, lookout for some great deals and find some unique gifts, so I'll be hunting these down online, rather than wearing out the soles of my shoes.
How will you be doing your Christmas shopping this year?
Will online shopping take over?
Let us know your thoughts....
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