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Monthly Archives: November 2012

Christmas Shopping From Your Couch

An infographic produced by IgnitionOne indicated the rapid growth of online sales over the past four years. Many people still think of physically browsing in a mall when they think of shopping, but it is projected that in 2012, only 32% of sales will be in store.

IgnitionOne’s infographic on e-commerce

What could this mean for business owners? Well for starters, they are able to sell their products without having a store, which greatly reduces their costs. On top of that, they are able to reach a larger market where consumers can access a company’s products with the click of a button. Businesses also are able to conduct easy market research, a point well elaborated on in Comm 101, by keeping track of products viewed by the same consumer to determine customer preferences.
 
Many attribute the rise in online sales to the growing popularity of Cyber Monday, where sales are up 33% since 2010, and online discussion of the event grew by 115%.
 
Is a rise in e-commerce good for consumers? Many people find it more convenient to shop online; they can get exactly what they want without having to leave their house and stand in an annoying line. Instead, they simply order it online and have their purchase delivered right to there doorstep. It sounds pretty ideal, but at the same time, we have to consider that some things still are better purchased in person. The issue of finding the right fit and needing to try apparel or shoes on before purchasing still requires a trip to the mall, so maybe it won’t be possible to have 100% of sales online, but majority of sales already are.

Target hits the mark

With all the recent fuss over Target stores opening across Canada, putting local businesses such as Zellers and Wal-Mart at risk, I naturally assumed that the opening of the famous American conglomerate would be bad news for Canadian business.

Target will hit the Canadian market by 2013

However, I find my opinion to have altered after reading a blog post by Ben Gardiner, another Comm 101 student at UBC. The analysis of  a Canadian Business article supports claims that Target will not harm, but actually help stimulate the Canadian economy. With the implementation of this highly affordable store in various malls across the country, Target claims that their stores will attract Canadians to the stores, and in turn, the malls they are located in, creating the desire for them to purchase more from Target and stores in close proximity. With the economic downfall in 2008, many Canadians have been deterred from shopping as much as they used to, which has led many businesses to suffer financially.
 
On top of that, Target has made numerous claims regarding their commitment to contributing to the community, with over 5% of sales spent directly on community outreach. To have a wealthy and successful company that is committed to corporate responsibility on this side of the border helping our community could be a great benefit. Granted, there are the negatives of having one of Canada’s oldest companies, HBC, be threatened, but the benefits of Target are quite clear.
 
Check out how many Canadians feel about the American giant stepping in to provide consumers with cheaper goods in this video!

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