Clicksharp Marketing

With gas prices high, and showing no sign of returning to the levels we know and love, can we find some solace in the digital world?

Let’s step outside the cozy business-owner paradigm (does anyone else find it cozy in here?), put ourselves in our customers’ shoes, and ask a simple question: why would someone shop at a physical retail location, instead of online?

Any of the following may apply:

• We don’t know what we need
• We need something right away
• We think we’ll get the best price once we see everything
• We want a salesperson’s opinion (really?)
• Just for the sport of it!

According to a recent survey by iCongo, one-third of adults say the high price of gasoline is making them more likely to shop online rather than at a retail location.

So you can now add this to the growing list of reasons why e-commerce is forever looking like a better option than all the strip malls, boutiques, outlets, and superstores fighting for your wallets.

What could be more convenient than flipping open your laptop and making a purchase from your living room? Price transparency has been reinvented online by comparison shopping sites, making it very easy to find the best price. The abundance of impartial product reviews ought to give you more objective feedback on your prospective purchase than most salespeople. And now, thanks to iCongo, we’re starting to see that the fuel cost savings of shopping from home are starting to noticeably affect consumer behavior.

Think of what you can add to your shopping cart with that gas money. Super size your purchase. Put guacamole on top. Get it in leather. (Though it must be said, if you truly enjoy shopping as a sport, chances are shopping online might not satisfy your athletic cravings.)

And now back to reality: if you The Shopper, see all these reasons to be online, shouldn’t you The Merchant be there too?

~~~~~

Paul Burani
Clicksharp Marketing
New York, NY

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 30th, 2008 @ 3:30 pm on the category SEM. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.


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