Initial Research - How the development of technology has affected "the ultimate shopping experience"

Click and Collect

A massive part of how retailers have used technology to attract customers is the design of the click and collect scheme. Many stores such as Topshop, MissSelfridge, River Island, Marks and Spencers, Next, John Lewis offer a free click and collect service to store or the option of express for a small fee. Many customers see this as a good idea because it allows them to order an item that is not in stock and order an item that has an online promotion.  However online retailers such as Missguided and Boohoo only have an option of a charged delivery, they do often promote free delivery when ordering over a certain price or they offer a super saver delivery which is around £1.99 which is cheaper than travel to a store. The very popular online retailer Asos always offers free delivery to customers or a subscription to free next day delivery for a small fee a year.

Below is an article I found on Very's latest TV advert promoting their click and collect service
http://www.thedrum.com/news/2014/10/09/very-promotes-free-click-and-collect-offering-new-tv-ad-campaign

"The campaign, created by St Luke’s, aims to communicate the idea that the consumer can ‘do tomorrow in style’ when they use Very’s free next day delivery, which deposits items at one of over 5,500 click and collect locations across the country. The 30 second TV spot shows a series of girls, including brand ambassador Fearne Cotton, so excited to get their hands on their purchases, that they rip them open and start using them immediately in their local Collect+ store. Jon Owen, retail director at Shop Direct, home to Very.co.uk, said: “As a leading online retailer, product delivery is at the heart of our offering. Our partnership with Collect+ means that we are providing our customers access to hundreds of top brands in a way that is incredibly convenient for them. St Luke’s have created a campaign to communicate this message in a stylish and aspirational yet still relatable way.”."

Below is an article I found on how click and collect is going to vastly increase the amount of online sales by 2019. I found this article interesting as people are predicating sales 5 years from now which shows how technology is just going to keep growing and taking over the high street as this is a form of shopping most consumers are adapting to. 

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/sep/17/click-collect-shoppers-65bn-goods-online-2019

Online click and collect services are now setting up shop in universities to appeal to the younger consumer and making it easier for students to shop online as it may be hard for them to afford delivery costs or petrol prices to get to shops. This is a really good idea and its showing how retailers are using what they know about their customers to ensure they buy their products at a hassel free experience. They are associated with well known retailers such as ASOS and Amazon and the collect service is open every day including Sundays which is better times than the Royal Mail and the post office.

http://www.retailtimes.co.uk/collectplus-launches-click-collect-leeds-university-campus-convenience-store-essentials/

Well known department store House of Fraser are launching a new click and collect service at Cafe Nero, Having the idea of instead of going shopping you can order online then go and get a coffee and collect your order which is a more relaxing and chilled experience for the shopper which is relating in people not physically going out to the store and looking at the product. I don't see how this service is any different to going to the store as there are cafes in shopping centres and this is still making the customer get transport to a Cafe Nero and in some places Cafe Nero don't exist so this service isn't available to everyone.

http://www.retail-week.com/sectors/department-stores/house-of-fraser-to-launch-click-and-collect-service-in-caff-nero/5064579.article

The Rise of Click and Collect
Below is a link to a video about the discussion of click and collect,I found this video useful as it gives a view on click and collect from a new background and it focuses on the convenience side of the service but talks about how some people will still use the traditional shopping experience of going to the store.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-27251111

The use of online shopping is growing every month and with a big %, this article looks at how in August the sales grew by 8.3% with a big focus on fashion stores.
http://internetretailing.net/2014/09/online-sales-grew-by-8-3-in-august-ons/



Online VS The High Street
I completed a small comparison research on some of the most poplar retailers at the moment, I decided to do this so I could compare the prices of products and see if online retailers are providing products at a more affordable price due to the no over head for the business they can charge less for products. This could be a result of why people tend to shop online rather than use high street stores as its more affordable and they offer a wider range of products. After visiting these sites I also found that online retailers use fashion bloggers to promote their products by wearing them and then blogging them, this is saving customers time to visit the store as they can see if they like the item and then purchase it online.

Technology in Stores

http://www.theguardian.com/media-network/media-network-blog/2014/mar/03/brands-technology-changing-face-retail
I found this article on The Guardian and I found what they said really interesting as it is backing up my theory on how technology is changing the ultimate shopping experience, they use the term "The explosion of technology is transforming the way we shop" Which is exactly what it is doing, consumers now find using the internet a much more convenient way of buying their goods as they have access to this from their laptops, tablets and phones its a never ending circle of how people don't need to visit the stores anymore. The article also speaks about a discussion that was held regarding how the consumers rely on a "seamless" shopping experience and it it is causing retailers to be more efficient with their in store and online platforms. They talk about how social media is affecting the way people shop, if one consumer as a bad experience with a retailer they post it on their twitter or their Facebook which is then making other people lose trust in the retailer and makes them not want to shop there.

Below is a link to a videoI found on the BBC News about how online shopping is now changing due to technology and I found what they said really useful in regards to my research.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-28739570

A similar link below from BBC news where they discuss the sales of online retailers for christmas 2013.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25684527

http://www.theguardian.com/media-network/media-network-blog/2014/apr/24/technology-high-street-topshop-burberry

This is another article I found on The Guardian about how shoppers are using their smartphones and tablets to purchase their shopping but this article focuses on how retailers are working with the latest technology to help get customers in to the stores. If high street stores start using technology to interact with their customers it will results in more sales and more people visiting the stores. This also goes on to discuss the omni channel retail experience which is the big change at the moment with e-commerce.http://www.theguardian.com/media-network-partner-zone-ebay/omni-channel-retailers-connected-consumers The omni channel experience connects every aspect of shopping and combines it as one, this is the future of shopping.


Here is a link to a article I found that discusses how the way people shop has changed, what I found really interesting about this is that it mentions online retailers such as ASOS are creating a shopping experience that is aimed at a younger demographic audience and how CEO's are paying more attention to their websites rather than the stores.
http://www.fourthsource.com/ecommerce/how-retail-has-changed-online-vs-the-high-street-14859

Topshops Virtual Catwalk

In February this year Topshop had the idea of bringing the front row of the catwalk to the customer, in Topshops flagship store they installed tv screens and 3D glasses allowing customers to go in and see their new lines from the front row of the catwalk. I think this is a good idea and it did bring a lot of customers to the store. Its a good way of using technology in store to grab the customers attention as these days the latest technology and being up to date is an important thing to the typical shopper.
http://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2014/02/18/front-row-topshop-s-virtual-catwalk

Above is a video that I found really useful as it shows a technology that stores should start using as its a different way of trying the product on and shows how technology forward stores are being to compete with online retailing.

Virtual fitting room experience all from your computer.

http://www.lkbennett.com/virtual-fitting-room

Traditional shopping is still the way most people shop? The link below talks about how people are still shopping in stores more than online which is something I don't think is true.
http://www.opusretailsolutions.com/news/traditional-shopping/

Social Media and Technology
Here is a book I found on the impact of social media on todays consumers and what the power of these sites are doing. Here is a screen grab on a paragraph I found useful:

Online vs The High Street Promotions

Above are a range of online promotions I found from both high street retailers and online only retailers. I did this research to compare the different brands and see what they do to compete with each other regarding promotions and if online retailers offer better promotions compared to high street stores. Looking at the offers I can see that at the moment most high street stores have launched their sale which is getting their customers in however some brands such as Dorothy Perkins have a 25% off event, being a regular shopper at the store I am aware that they always have different promotions running throughout the store and online every week and I think this is why alot of people shop at the brand because they make their items more affordable to their customers. Miss Selfridge as a brand do something similar, each week they will launch a promotion small or big on different departments or they will respond with what is happening in that month for example the promotion this week is 30% off halloween type items which is a good amount and will attract their customers as it makes their products considerably cheaper. Comparing this to online retailers having done research and being a visitor of the sites myself I am aware that they constantly have promotions on these are usually promotions such as free delivery, student discount, %'s of for a limited time only and similar to high street they create promotions based on what is happening in the month for example its soon to be winter so coat promotions are key at this time. These online retailers have promotions all the time as their target market are the younger females who are students or not on a good income and therefore like to buy key fashion pieces at affordable prices. 

How do people shop?
Before I started my research I created this survey to hand out to people to see how they shop online and why they shop online.

Unfortunately after discussing this survey with my tutors I was advised against completing this survey as I would of had to ask over 30 people and make it a fair survey which is something I do not have the time to do.
For this part of my research I wanted to find out how most people of today shop, if they prefer to do it online or actually visit the store and how the use of technology is being used in stores. 

Below are some images I have taken after visiting some stores and seeing some of the different technologies they use. Most stores use systems in their stores to either make it possible for customers to order items that are out of stock, leave feedback on how they have found the store or they use a screen where people can see what products are in stock. What alot of retailers are doing lately is placing screens in their windows showing videos of their products instead of creating window displays that cost the retailer money that they can't always afford and this is more affordable and simpler way of placing merchandise in the window. If more stores take this approach then more visual merchandiser roles won't be needed which will affect me in the future as this is a career I have chosen to do in my future.

 FCUK

H&M

Homebase

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/10319074/Online-shopping-to-account-for-1-in-every-7-spent-by-2018.html

Above is an article I found on The Guardian which talks about how over the next few years we will see a massive increase in online shopping as this is a much more convenient way of shopping for both men and women. A comment in the article says;

 “67pc said they shopped from their living room, indicating that second screening, browsing websites while watching TV, has had a major impact.

“This, together with the ability to browse on smartphones wherever you are, and social media, has made online shopping a much more immersive and interactive experience than it was only a few years ago, when more shoppers tended to be restricted to desktops typically located away from the living room.” 

This backs up all the above research how shopping is all about technology and using smartphones, tablets and laptops people can be anywhere in the world and still be able to order themselves some clothes which you can't do with the traditional shopping experience as this would require you to be in a shopping centre and most people need to travel to places like this, for example for me to travel to a decent shopping centre I would need to get on an hours train to London or drive down to Stratford Westfield which would cost me around £20-£30 which being a student is something I can't afford on a regular basis therefore online shopping is more convenient for me and many others in the same situation as me. 

Fashion Bloggers

What is a fashion blog?

"A fashion blog can cover many things such as specific items of clothing and accessories, trends in various apparel markets, celebrity fashion choices and street fashion trends. They cover fashion at all levels from the biggest names to the smallest indie designers.

Many fashion blogs could also be categorised as shopping blogs, since "most of the conversation is shopping advice, liberally laced with consumer recommendations". This is very similar to the content of fashion magazines. Some retailers in the fashion industry have even started blogs of their own to promote their products.

Some blogs focus more on fashion advice, featuring "how to..."-type articles. This way, their readers can learn how clothes should fit, how they should colors and other similar information and not concentrate so much on what to buy, but rather on how to buy. They also focus on giving fashion insights and debate fashion-related controversies."

For part of my research I wanted to look into how the popularity of fashion bloggers is affecting the way people shop. Nowadays every media website you go on or magazine you read they speak about fashion bloggers as this is the new way of retailers promoting their products, giving them to bloggers for free to wear and then blog about it and tell people where to get the item from. Some retailers even use bloggers to give out promotions to their customers to make them shop their products. Due to all the latest technology bloggers are bigger and better than what they were 10 years ago, blogging use to be a small hobby people would do but now its seen as a career. I follow various bloggers on instagram and personally have seen stuff they are wearing that I would want to buy. My favourite blogger is someone called Sarah Ashcroft who's blogger name is That Pommie Girl here is a link to her blog http://www.thatpommiegirl.com/ I really like the clothing she models and she shops in similar places to me which is why I follow her as I can take inspiration from what she wears.

Here is an example of how online retailers are collaborating with bloggers to help promote their clothing. Brands such as In Love With Fashion sell a small range of products that are promoted by bloggers but also celebrities off of well known reality shows such as The Only Way is Essex.

Above is an article I found on http://www.contactmusic.com/article/fashion-bloggers-milan-fashion-week_4096861 discussing how "Fashion bloggers have become the most influential spokespeople for the style world, people no longer look to the catwalk for inspiration but to their favourite bloggers."  Every fashion brand wants a blogger to be promoting their products as it is the most powerful form of advertisement for fashion retailers at this current time. 

What types of blogging are there?

• Fashion bloggers.
• Film bloggers.
• Music bloggers.
• Video game bloggers.
• Food bloggers.
• Theatre bloggers.
• News bloggers.
• Political bloggers.
• Sport bloggers
• Technology bloggers.