Response To Classmate wk2

 Response To Classmate : 

• When finished, review the posts from other students. Select at least two posts and create a one paragraph Reply explaining why you agree or disagree.   your own opinions

classmate posts are attached

Classmate 1

Robert Pickett posted Jan 25, 2018 4:28 PM

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The use of the internet has increased greatly over the years with even having access virtually anywhere you go if you own a smartphone, which has allowed for a drastic increase in convenience for consumers to make purchases online as opposed to actually going into a brick and mortar store to make a purchase. Instead of having to drive to the grocery store, outlet mall, department store, etc., there is a new ability to be able to stay at home, in your own bed if you so choose, and make a purchase to have delivered to your home. Now there are even options to get same-day delivery, two-day delivery, etc. and sometimes it is at no additional cost. When there is that much convenience for consumers, it does not take a genius to understand why a lot of retailers are being forced to close its brick and mortar stores.

A good friend of mine is a Manager at a local bookstore in downtown Cincinnati, and I am often told stories of people who he encounters on a regular basis in his store. A fairly common interaction goes something like this: 
Customer: What book(s) do you recommend for my spouse that is interested in science fiction novels?
Manager: Well there are a few new science fiction books that I love: (Book X, Book Y, Book Z).
Customer: I think he would like Book X! *Looks at price* Oh! It costs more than on Amazon! I’m just going to buy it there.
I hear stories like this one all the time not only from him, but even from other people who comment how it’s quicker, easier, and less expensive to buy something on Amazon.com instead of buying it somewhere else. And I will admit using Amazon is very convenient, which is why I use it, but if there is a strong increase in the remaining brick and mortar stores and/or grocery stores that become similar to Amazon Go stores, then what is going to happen to all of those cashier jobs, bag boy jobs, etc.? It could potentially eliminate those who look for part-time work, or may even rely on those jobs as their occupation. Hopefully there will still be the option of both in-store and online shopping (and things like Eddie Bauer’s ice room will certainly help), but if it goes mostly online, there would be a vast decrease in the number of jobs available.

Classmate 2 post

Regina Sigafoos posted Jan 25, 2018 3:20 PM

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I have witnessed my own shopping patterns evolve greatly over the past ten years. Growing up in Granville, Ohio, it wasn’t uncommon for my mom and I to make a trip to Easton to visit our favorite stores and walk around the mall. When I needed anything for college, we went to Bed, Bath, and beyond or target. I have always enjoyed going to the actual brick and mortar store, but recently, I go less and less.

I am a very active Amazon Prime customer, and I would say I get about 90% of my purchases from them. The convenience cannot be denied, and with two-day shipping, I am still getting my items quickly. Like the average consumer, I feel like if I can purchase items online so quickly and simply, why go out of my way to go to the store?

As the videos discussed, stores need to “put on a show” or offer an experience to entice shoppers like me to come out. Obviously stores like Kroger and Target, where I go for essentials, are the exception to this. But places like Sephora, where I go to get most of my makeup, need to do much more to entice me to come in. I love the idea of offering more technology-driven experiences in store, such as Sephora’s fragrance stations or some of their other touch screen driven shopping experiences. I believe in the future, we will see many more elaborate attempts to get people into the store, and perhaps some of the futuristic buying practices that we saw in the “Future of Retail” videos are not that far off. To compete with the convenience of online shopping, brick and mortar stores need to wow their customers with custom experiences, convenience, and flair. I am eager to see the direction some of my favorite stores will go in the future, and perhaps it will drive me back to the store.