The ease of buying online
Technology has come forward leaps and bounds in the last few years and as more retailers make the leap to the online world, there’s more and more choice online. The reason behind the thought is that my wife recently bought a vacuum cleaner online. She didn’t give more than a cursory glance the the local retailers and popped straight online. Price was one reason, but the main driver was the sheer choice of vacuums that she could choose online.
She ended up buying it from Tesco; We do have a local Tesco store, but they don’t carry the same selection that are available online; again driving her online. I guess it’s only a matter of time before online choices become so compelling that bricks and mortar operations feel the squeeze. Actually, I daresay they’re already being affected but I suspect the effect will become more profound and, well, fatal.
Time will tell, but the reality is, unless retailers start taking immediate action in building relationships with their clients and giving them what they really want, they’re going to struggle to survive.