Shopping expert Paco Underhill explains how we shop:
Some people predict that the Internet is going to replace the retail store. It’s already killed Borders. What impact could it have on, say, buying a bed or a toaster?
Buying an electronic appliance generally involves three visits, or missions. A scouting mission, a narrowing mission, and a purchasing mission. Of those three missions, at least one or two might be happening online, whereas it previously would be happening in store. The role of the Internet is an information-gathering — scouting and narrowing — vehicle. It doesn’t mean less buying. It means less day-to-day traffic.
That sounds disturbingly accurate. I need a new laptop, and a couple of weeks I started my scouting mission. On the internet. Last week I spent an afternoon on a narrowing mission, visting Fry’s, Micro Center, Best Buy, the Microsoft Store, and the Sony Store. Two days ago I accidentally noticed a sale on one of the models at the top of my list, so today I’ll probably head out on my purchasing mission.
Of course, I could just as easily have accidentally noticed a sale on the internet, in which case our local bricks-and-mortar retailers would have been out of luck. Still, Underhill has a point. The internet probably spurs nearly as much shopping as it cannibalizes.
Also of note is his anecdote about a Japanese department store that has a private club for loyal customers. Interesting! Sounds like something Nordstrom should try.
