The contested fields of shopping. A look into the ways to buy and sell

SYDNEY, Sept. 30 -- Shaun Hardie
August 17, 2011 Sydney (updated September 30, 2011).

Shopping has become a virtual experience. Nifty retailers and marketing people are increasingly using technology to entice consumers to do one of the oldest recreational activities – shopping.

Having an iPhone can make the difference between getting your favorite items at the best price and missing out on a great buy.

A simple ‘check in’ with ‘Facebook Places’ at a Westfield shopping centre will alert you to in-store discounts. Facebook will know your location and alert you to offers.

An iPhone app QuickerFeet can be used to find out what discounts are nearby and search for deals up to 100km away.

Sarah McLachlan, is a keen online shopper.

“Quiet often you can get a better price and I enjoy getting away from the crowds and not lining up in queues,” she said.

“I work long hours and when I would like to do my shopping all the stores are closed. So doing it online makes it so much easier.”

More shoppers are buying online for convenience. Thomas Simpson, a 21-year-old electrical apprentice, said the ease and price of buying online had him hooked.

“I bought a Nike 6.0 and a DC Rob Dyrdek and they were $75 each, that’s half of what they’re worth in store,” he said.

“Buying skate shoes and clothing from ccs is an easy experience, my shoes were delivered in less than a week and they had a tracking system on them as well so I watched how they got to me,” Simpson said.

Even going up to the local supermarket for groceries can be replaced as an online activity.

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Gerry Harvey said on Channel Nine’s A Current Affairs program, “Well over 90 percent of all those internet companies will not be here within five years.” Even he has begrudgingly admitted that retailers cannot ignore the trends in online shopping.

A big winner from this transition is the Post Office. Their business is booming as they deliver all the goods bought over the internet.

Peter Roper who writes for www.marketingmag.com.au said in a recent blog, “Two upcoming reports by Forrester Research reveal that while online retail in Australia has grown significantly over the last year, it is otherwise unchanged...”

Roper concludes that, “Over the next few years, the big online-only retailers will get bigger, while the small ones will focus on niches if they want to keep growing as they have been...” And the bricks and mortar retailers will play to their strengths of brand recognition, scale and financial resources to build multichannel retail experiences, said Roper. Click here for the full blog.

An article from www.dynamicbusiness.com.au says, “A recent social media report by Sensis revealed that just 14 percent of small businesses, 25 percent of medium-sized businesses and 50 percent of large businesses have a social media presence.”

Shopping and the internet will continue to mesh as retailers look for the advantages of attracting consumers online.