Shop ′Till You Drop In The Warmth of Your Home
By A. Raymond Randall
rayrandall[at]echievements.com
Advertisements:
Do you go to the shopping mall, or do you sit in your favorite chair
with keyboard handy? In time, shopping malls may become unwanted landscape
with aisles of vacant stores while online shopping increases annually.
When Internet shopping you can enter your credit card securely (bank
card companies cooperate with special shopping ID's), fair or free shipping
costs, and friendly customer service. This saves you time, saves you
gasoline, and saves you money.
Shopping from your couch keeps you away from drivers racing from one
lane to the shoulder, some painting their lips, others babbling or haggling.
No need to play bumper cars when getting a parking spot either.
Last Saturday, my family passed our local mall's parking lot. A full
lot on the food court side suggests crowded aisles. Crowds challenge
my shopping patience, but seldom dissuade the women in our family. In
1997, according to eMarketer, Inc. men and boys dominated the Internet.
Today, women have the edge.
The International Council of Shopping Centers predicts a 3.5% increase
in holiday shopping at brick and motor stores. Large department stores,
the anchor tenants of shopping malls, may see a 2% increase. How come?
* Large Department Stores Do Not Motivate Shoppers,
according to The Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) Store
clerks do not greet shoppers
* Store clerks do not offer extra service to shoppers
* Store clerks do not suggest other products to shoppers
* Store clerks lack the motivation that keeps shoppers buying
Walmart,Target, and luxury retail merchants experience 5% increase in
sales this year as large department stores are "naughty and not
nice".
There is no coal in the on line retailers stocking this year:
* According to Goldman Sachs: On line shopping increased by 16% over
last year (week ending December 9th)
* $18.6 billion in sales since early November according to Harris Interactive.
According to comScore Networks, online sales the Monday after Thanksgiving
increased by $485 million (26%) more than 2004 (by the way, someday
the U.S. and State Governments will tax this commerce).
On line shoppers are motivated to spend money. On line shopping security
improves constantly. No need to check the mall when a delivery man can
bring your package to your door. No need to endure over worked and under
paid counter sales help, when a "click" of your keyboard completes
the sale. Shoppers are changing lanes.
Ebay, Amazon, and Google motivate shoppers. Macy's, Filene's, and Sears
may have lost their knack. Copywriters may become more important than
counter sales people. As I write, Google's (GOOG) stock price is $427.82
(Do you know about Froogle?) Federated Stores (FD) is $63.75. Paradigm
shifts are every where.
Ray Randall serves clients as a registered investment
advisor with his firm, Ethos Advisory Services, Essex, Massachusetts
Ethos Advisory Services. He has wide experience within the financial
services industry, writes a weekly newsletter for Ethos Advisory Services
http://www.ethosadvisory.com
and coordinates the developments at Echievements.com http://www.echievements.com
Ray holds a Masters Degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary,
Hamilton, MA. You may call Ray (617-275-5565).
Published - December 2005
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