On Thu, May 17, 2001 at 08:12:52PM +0100, Leon Brocard wrote:
> The same happened to me. I've given up buying things on the
> Internet. I do all my research on the web, and then head down to
> Tottenham Court Road to actually buy it. The prices are generally
> comparable, and you get it *there and then*.
They're calling it shops or `S-Commerce' and it's being rolled out in
cities and towns nationwide.
"It's a real revelation," according to Malcolm Fosbury, a middleware
engineer from Hillingdon. "You just walk into one of these "shops"
and they have all sorts of things for sale."
Fosbury was particularly impressed by a clothes shop he discovered
while browsing in central London. "Shops seem to be the ideal medium
for transactions of this type. I can actually try out a jacket and
see if it fits me. Then I can visualize the way I would look if I
was wearing the clothing." This is possible using a high definition
2D viewing system, or "mirror" as it has become known.
Shops, which are frequently aggregated into shopping portals or
"high streets", are becoming increasingly popular with the cash-rich
time-poor generation of new consumers. Often located in densely
populated areas people can find them extremely convenient.
And Malcolm is not alone in being impressed by shops. "Some days I
just don't have the time to download huge Flash animations of
rotating trainers and then wait five days for them to be delivered
in the hope that they will actually fit," says Sandra Bailey, a
systems analyst from Chelsea. "This way I can actually complete the
transaction in real time and walk away with the goods." Being able
see whether or not shoes and clothing fit has been a real bonus for
Bailey, "I used to spend my evenings boxing up gear to return.
Sometimes the clothes didn't fit, sometimes they just sent the
wrong stuff."
Shops have a compelling commercial story to tell too, according to
Gartner Group retail analyst Carl Baker. "There are massive
efficiencies in the supply chain. By concentrating distribution to a
series of high volume outlets in urban centres-typically close to
where people live and work-businesses can make dramatic savings in
fulfillment costs. Just compare this with the wasteful practise of
delivering items piecemeal to people's homes."
Furthermore, allowing consumers to receive goods when they actually
want them could mean an end to the frustration of returning home to
find a despatch notice telling you that your goods are waiting in a
delivery depot the other side of town. But it's not just the
convenience and time-saving that appeals to Fosbury, "Visiting a
shop is real relief for me. I mean as it is I spend all day in front
of a bloody computer."
from Benjamin Gill, Information & Research, P-Four Consultancy Ltd, TEL:
(44) 0171 924 3233, FAX: (44) 0171 978 5304, E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
--
We *have* dirty minds. This is not news. - Kake Pugh
