Crystal blogged about the possibilities of virtual shopping, which was actually a response to another classmate’s blog about the same topic. So I’m writing a response to a response.. blogception? Okay, serious time.
The type of virtual stores she talked about where lighted wall displays by retailer Tesco, used in places like Korean subways. The walls displaying the assortment of items offered would be examined by customers, and customers would scan the desired product’s QR code to add it to your online cart. The purchase will then be delivered to the customer’s door at the end of the day.
Crystal said that this brings convenience to customers, and I agree with this, given that there is a trend in society of being time-poor as well as owning smartphones, a necessity to interact with the wall. As well, even if viewers do not use the wall to buy anything, it still serves a great advertising for the retailer (if the retailer makes their brand name obvious, which doesn’t seem to be the case above).
However, I feel like there are significant limitations to this technology. Brick-and-mortar stores are not threatened by this because customers like many aspects of a physical shopping experience for many of the goods they buy. It’s likely this would only work for convenience and commodity products, which customers buy the same of on a regular basis (like laundry detergent). I feel brand equity also plays a big part in this, as brands that are familiar to customers are more likely to succeed on this type of distribution platform, which heavily relies on visual cues of the packaging and not much else. To be successful, I also think that these would have to be placed in unusual locations. In this example, locating in subways as they can take advantage of an individual’s train wait times to entice them to use the service impulsively. Furthermore, people using the subway probably lead busy lives and are more likely to use it for the convenience.
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