Welcome to e(asy)-Shopping?

Welcome to e(asy)-Shopping?, a blog investigating e-commerce and online shopping around the world. Researchers are finding that consumers generally prefer to use e-commerce for buying products that are not required to be physically inspected (Peterson et al., 1997, Klein, 1998). Yet some consumers may hold out on purchasing any goods whatsoever over the Internet because they are not sure the convenience of doing so is worth the potential risks (Soopramaien et al., 2007). On the complete opposite site of the spectrum, other people, many of which I maintain close friendships with, shop online for anything and everything. Their entire wardrobe has been purchased on line; they complete all of their Christmas shopping via the Internet, and they order their groceries from www.wegmans.com.

There have been amazing advancements in cyber-shopping during the past 15 years including businesses like eBay, Amazon, and shopping.com. With slogans like “Shopping.com – Shopping Made Simple” and eBay’s “Shop Victoriously,” Internet businesses are appearing to try and reach out to those who may be more reluctant to share their credit card numbers online by communicating the simplicity of shopping on the Internet.

Analysts believe that in the next five to 10 years, people who are already familiar with shopping online will likely continue to do so, and even purchase more via the Internet. However, if you are one of those reluctant to use the Internet to make purchases, you will continue to shop at the mall. Businesses are spending loads of money to come up with slogans like the aforementioned two, but it may not be a good use of funds.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20321999/

For me, I will most likely be one of the previously mentioned individuals. I currently shop online, but for limited items. I will purchase airline and train tickets; tickets to see a Broadway show, Knicks game at MSG or concert at the PNC Bank Arts Center; electronics, and of course, songs on iTunes. In terms of shopping for clothing and apparel, I will only purchase regularly priced items from stores in which I am familiar. I find that sale items are usually not returnable and as I can’t try on the item, I will only purchase something I can return if necessary.

However, I find that as I get older and more entrenched in my education and career, I have less and less time to drive to and from the mall to spend hours browsing through racks of clothes, tables of shoes, rows of flat-screen televisions and shelves of books. In going through my receipts from the past year, I can determine that about 10 percent of my purchases have been made online. To me, this seems to have risen from previous years. My receipts come from the same five online “stores,” with the exception of the occasional ticketmaster.com record. I am the perfect example of what many experts are now predicting of e-commerce.

In addition, to maintain a consistent growth in online sales from devoted e-customers (like myself), some retailers are experimenting with their online business. Analysts believe that as long as retailers can integrate their online and “brick-and-mortar” operations, they will gain the necessary competitive edge to justify keeping their online business.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20321999/



Klein, L.R. (1998) Evaluating the potential of interactive media through new lens: search versus experience goods, Journal of Business Research, 41, 195-203.

Peterson, R. A., Balasubramanian, S. and Bronnenberg, B. J. (1997) Exploring the implications of the Internet for consumer marketing, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 25, 329–46.

Soopramanien, Didier G. R., Fildes, Robert & Robertson, Alastair. (2007) Consumer decision making, E-commerce and perceived risks, Applied Economics, 39, 2159-2166.