Good Essay About Three Shopping Trends People Are Interested In

Introduction

There was a time when shopping by visiting a store was the only option left to people. However, in recent times, due to technological advancement and the advent of the internet, the shopping trends are changing. Purchasing from a physical store is not the only option left to consumers now who, due to the growing influence of mobile phones and tablets, have another option of making their purchasing decisions online. The easy way of researching on products and making a comparison of prices offered by different retailers has set in an intense competition among the businesses, who in order to lure customers, are increasingly offering good deals, bundles, and discounts on products. Though the presence of sales and discounts influencing the purchasing decisions of consumers was always there, online shopping through smartphones and the facility of shopping shuttle bus offered by many malls to car-less shoppers are new emerging trends. This paper would discuss the trends that people are increasingly showing an interest in with greater detail, touching upon the three shopping trends; 1) online smartphone shopping, 2) best deals, sales, and free shipping, and 3) free shuttle bus.

Online Smartphone Shopping

The growing influence of mobile phones and the internet is increasingly found in the shopping trends of people. Increasingly, a growing number of people are switching to online shopping. Smartphone plays an important role in the current shoppers' life. Growingly around the world, shoppers show a penchant for shopping online through smartphone devices. This shopping trend is marked to escalate in the coming years. The Google/Nielson study reveals that on an average, customers spend 15+ hours searching for applications and mobile sites on smartphones (Thomas et al. 2014). Smartphone influences the purchasing decisions of shoppers across channels. 93% of those who do research on mobile for shopping end up purchasing a product. A new e-commerce report revealed that about 30% of online shopping transactions worldwide take place via smartphone devices, with Asia leading this new trend. Interestingly, the report showcases that unlike the Western people who use tablet and smartphone for online shopping, the Asians use smartphones exclusively for online shopping (Wirdana 2015). The report also shows that South Korea and Japan are the countries with the highest share of online retail transactions through smartphones. More than 45% of mobile share for online transactions was recorded by both the countries. The UK falls third in line with 41% of its online shopping transactions via smartphones, closely followed by Spain, the USA and Germany (Wirdana 2015).
Most of the people with smartphones and tablets prefer online shopping because they can research about their purchases at their own convenience and compare prices offered by different retailers. A study conducted by United Parcel Service Inc. shows that 70% of over 3,000 online shoppers who were surveyed reported of favoring to shop from their favorite retailers online. The study also reveals that 50% smartphone owners and 60% tablet owners prefer using these devices to make online purchases. Instead of fretting about privacy, 60% online shoppers admitted that they liked to receive information on deals and promotions on their phones and tablets, on the basis of their transaction history and location, so that they could make wise purchasing decisions (Morris 2013).
Online smartphone shopping is an important key trend for shoppers not willing to spend their time at stores. People who engage in online shopping via smartphones show a sense of immediacy. More than half of the people who do online shopping are driven by the desire “I want it now” and they make the purchase within the hour (Thomas et al. 2014). They surf through the internet, make their purchasing decisions, use a locator to find a nearby shop where the product is available and buy it from a physical store. Many willing to wait a little longer but do not have time to visit a physical store place their orders online only. Online shoppers are also value conscious. They look for the best deal and crave for free shipping most of the time. These two factors will significantly drive their purchases if a growing number of businesses like Amazon begin to offer this combination to the dedicated customers.
The trend of online shopping especially reaches a peak during the holiday season. From the figure of the purchases made in the past holiday season, it is apparent that gradually an increasing number of people is turning to online shopping via their smartphones. A study conducted by IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark shows that smartphone accounts for 35% of online, up to 40% year on year (YoY) (Thomas et al. 2014). The sales of smartphones and tablet, the two main gadgets used for online shopping, have also increased manifold from 2011 onwards. During the 2013 holiday seasons, 52% online smartphone shoppers used their mobile devices throughout the shopping season. In fact, last year in 2014, 40% of the Black Friday shopping was done online through smartphones (Thomas et al. 2014).

Best Deals, Sales, and Free Shipping

The shopping trend is also influenced largely by best deals, sales and free shipping. A good deal on price makes shoppers reaching for their wallets and make a purchase. 92% of the shoppers check prices of products online for availing best deals. Almost all the shoppers agree that low price point is a determining factor for their purchasing decisions. A survey conducted by RetailMeNot.com reveals that 50% people in the USA make their purchasing decisions based on best deals, discounts and sales ("Top Influence on Online” 2013). Aside from best deals and sales, buyers shopping online always look for free shipping. What prevents many potential online shoppers from shopping online is the shipping cost of getting their products delivered at the door. The sales and best deal offerings might lose their charm to a potential buyer if the cost of shipping is added to the payment. For instance, Macy's gives sales and discount from time to time, but there are many shoppers who would like to avail the benefit of these deals and sales by visiting the Macy's stores physically because that would save the shoppers the extra shipping cost. Macy's offers free shipping only if the items shopped exceeds a certain cap of about $96. However, shoppers shopping items below the cap need to pay the shipping cost of about $10, which functions like a barrier for many shoppers to shop online on Macy's. One UPS study reports that 83% of online shoppers do not mind waiting for few additional days for delivery if they can get free shipping. Because of these reasons, online shopping on Amazon is getting immensely popular because Amazon offers free shipping with certain subscriptions. If a loyal customer registers himself or herself in lieu of a meagre amount to Amazon, then Amazon gives the buyer a lot of shipping options, most of which are for free.

Free Shuttle Bus

The last shopping trend is the free shuttle bus, which refers to the shuttle bus provided by many shopping malls to the shoppers for helping them hop into the shopping mall. This is especially useful for those shoppers who do not have any kind of transportation. It makes shopping easy for the shoppers as they do not need to pay for any transportation to reach a shopping center or city center. These buses also have applications for smartphone that let the customers know of the exact timing of the arrival and departure of the shuttle buses so that people may avail these buses at the convenience of their time. Vaughan Mills shopping shuttle is an example of such shuttle service. Vaughan Mills is a high-end shopping mall located in Toronto, Canada. This shopping shuttle bus operates daily from the Union Station to Vaughan Mills during the summer months from 1st June till 30th September. The shuttle bus is available twice a day; once in the morning and another in the afternoon. Vaughan Mills allows the shoppers to pre-book their seats on the shuttle 7 hours prior to the scheduled departure time. Those who pre-book their seats need to arrive 40 minutes prior to the departure to collect the wristbands distributed on first-come, first-served basis ("Vaughan Mills launches” 2009). However, if the shoppers who have pre-booked their seats fail to arrive 40 minutes prior to the journey, they will not get the reservation facility.

Conclusion

The current trend of shopping is slowly changing due to the advancement of technologies and the ubiquitousness of the internet. An increasing number of people armed with mobile phones and gadgets are switching to online shopping. Several studies show that half of the smartphone users prefer purchasing online using their smartphones because it gives them the convenience of doing research prior to purchasing a product and comparing prices offered by different retailers. Many of the online shoppers are driven by the immediate desire of owning a product, and these shoppers quickly make their purchasing decisions and buy a product within an hour. They find the location of a nearby shop through location finder apps of their smartphones and buy the product from a physical store. Those willing to wait a few days longer for the delivery place orders online for the product to be delivered right at their door steps. Aside from online smartphone shopping, shopping trend is also influenced by the offering of sales, discounts, deals, and free shipping. In order to lure customers on to purchasing products, a growing number of businesses offer sales and discounts on any given occasion and make profit. Free shipping is another factor that influences the purchasing decisions of an online shopper. Other new upcoming trend of shopping is the free shuttle bus, which is offered by a few shopping malls to car-less shoppers so that they could arrive at and depart a shopping center at the convenience of their time. Since nowadays, people spend a lot of time shopping and researching on products they would like to buy; these new trends would definitely be of their help in saving both money and time.

Work Cited

Thomas, Beth; Dean, Erin; Smith, Kelly and Thatcher, Nina. "Holiday Is (Almost) Here: 5 Shopping Trends Marketers Should Watch." 2014. Web. 17 Mar. 2015 <https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/articles/five-holiday-shopping-trends-marketers-should-watch.html>
Wirdana, Ardi. "Asia Leads Smartphone Online Shopping Trend". The Establishment Post. 6 Jan 2015. Web. 17 Mar. 2015 <http://www.establishmentpost.com/asia-leads-smartphone-online-shopping-trend/>
"Top Influence on Online Purchase Decisions? Deals and Discounts." Marketing Charts. 26 Aug 2013. Web. 17 Mar. 2015 <http://www.marketingcharts.com/online/top-influence-on-online-purchase-decisions-deals-and-discounts-36149/>
"Vaughan Mills launches free downtown shuttle". Toronto Life. 22 May 2009. Web. 17 Mar. 2015 <http://www.torontolife.com/style/toronto-shopping/2009/05/22/vaughan-mills-launches-free-downtown-shuttle/>
Morris, Betsy. "More Consumers Prefer Online Shopping." The Wall Street Journal. 3 Jun 2013. Web. 17 Mar. 2015 <http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324063304578523112193480212>