Shopping Trip Essay

Shopping trips begin online or at in-store kiosks, and price comparisons and coupon searches are increasingly commonplace. Customers are looking for trust relationships with retailers. They are guarding their resources, and have changed their shopping paradigm to be more selective and targeted. While it is generally the “brand” that brings retail consumers to the shopping environment, it is the retail “experience” that builds loyalty and keeps them coming back. Social media and mobile shopping initiatives may lure consumers into a retail environment.

In-store experience is extremely vital to keep customers loyal, firstly the appearance atmospherics of a store are the first to be seen and a pleasant store interior encourages consumers to stay

A seamless shopping experience is one that achieves consistency between the online and offline shopping experience. Today, customers want the convenience of online shopping to be carried over into their in-store shopping experience. This necessitates that products, prices, and promotions are the same in the store as they are on the retailer’s website. Despite the convenience of buying products online, customers still value the ability to see, touch, and try on products. And a lot of shoppers enjoy doing so with others, viewing the in-store shopping experience as a social engagement. Further, consumers often look to in-store experts – otherwise known as store associates – to provide product detail, answer their questions, and overall provide the personal touch that the online experience cannot. All of these factors expose the inherent limitations of purchasing products from an ecommerce website. Retailers would be wise to take notice of these limitations and take advantage of the obvious importance of the in-store shopping experience. The increased popularity of alternative fulfilment methods like ship-from-store and in-store pickup is the silver lining for brick-and-mortar businesses. Not only do these methods help retailers move more product and cut down on costs, having varied (and convenient) delivery options delights consumers. Regardless of whether a customer wants to buy online or in store, fulfilling the order can be done using the physical store, no matter what the method of fulfilment is. Many customers see the in-store shopping experience as an escape. By adding more amenities to their stores as part of the shopping experience. Free Wi-Fi, for example, provides the increased number of mobile shopper’s easy access to the Internet—which may seem counterintuitive. But if a product is