The Impact of Online Apparel Stores on in-Store Shopping
The impact of online apparel stores on in-store shopping: A complement rather than a substitute
Abstract
Due to the fast development of the Internet and the growing popularity of online shopping, some argue that the online shopping will substitute store shopping ultimately. For some products such as books and tickets, that might be true, however, for product like apparel - a kind of high-risk and hedonistic product, it is not the case. This essay demonstrates why it is less possible for online apparel shopping to substitute store apparel shopping and how it serves as a complement for store apparel shopping. Finally, some implications on how to make the online apparel shopping more appealing are given. 1. Introduction
With the development of information technology and the growth of the number of Internet users, a new channel of shopping has been growing dramatically - online shopping. According to Boston Consulting Group (BBC, 2010), the "internet economy" was worth 121 billion pounds in 2010, more than 2,000 pounds per person, which made it bigger than the healthcare, construction or education sectors. In particular, online shopping contributes to 8.3% of the UK economy, and is predicted to continue to expand at a rate of 11% per year for the next four years (ibid.).
There are numerous advantages for online shopping, both functional and non-functional. Functional motives include convenience, greater merchandise selection, unique merchandise offerings, and lower prices (Forsythe et al. 2006). While non-functional benefits are related to the enjoyment that gained from online shopping experience, which include “escapism” - offering an escape from the day-to-day world, “pleasure” - offering the feeling of joy and satisfaction, and “arousal” - making one feel stimulated, active or alert during the online shopping experience (Menon and Kahn, 2002).
As online shopping has so many
Abstract
Due to the fast development of the Internet and the growing popularity of online shopping, some argue that the online shopping will substitute store shopping ultimately. For some products such as books and tickets, that might be true, however, for product like apparel - a kind of high-risk and hedonistic product, it is not the case. This essay demonstrates why it is less possible for online apparel shopping to substitute store apparel shopping and how it serves as a complement for store apparel shopping. Finally, some implications on how to make the online apparel shopping more appealing are given. 1. Introduction
With the development of information technology and the growth of the number of Internet users, a new channel of shopping has been growing dramatically - online shopping. According to Boston Consulting Group (BBC, 2010), the "internet economy" was worth 121 billion pounds in 2010, more than 2,000 pounds per person, which made it bigger than the healthcare, construction or education sectors. In particular, online shopping contributes to 8.3% of the UK economy, and is predicted to continue to expand at a rate of 11% per year for the next four years (ibid.).
There are numerous advantages for online shopping, both functional and non-functional. Functional motives include convenience, greater merchandise selection, unique merchandise offerings, and lower prices (Forsythe et al. 2006). While non-functional benefits are related to the enjoyment that gained from online shopping experience, which include “escapism” - offering an escape from the day-to-day world, “pleasure” - offering the feeling of joy and satisfaction, and “arousal” - making one feel stimulated, active or alert during the online shopping experience (Menon and Kahn, 2002).
As online shopping has so many