In Margaret Simons ‘Gift Economy and the Future’, the founder of the public journalism movement Jay Rosen attributes the decay of mainstream media to the lack of the journalist’s relationship with their audience (p.208.) Rosen commends bloggers and stand-alone journalists of the web for the way they engage with their readers by providing useful information and helpful solutions. This reflects the concept of a ‘gift-economy’ where privileged persons work not for profit but rather for the satisfaction that comes from sharing knowledge with others.
I envision our website as being a part of this ‘gift-economy’. Through a combination of well-researched news features and opinions from both media experts and experienced people in the retail industry as well as tutorials on aspects such as site design, our web features will educate ‘brick and mortar fashion retailers’ (as termed by Dr Paul Harrison on the 7pm Project) on why and how they should embrace the online environment.
Online shopping is a consumer trend that cannot be underestimated by Australian fashion retailers. An April 2011 article from The Courier Mail quotes the Australian National Retail Association in stating that Internet shopping will cause 50,000 Australians to lose their jobs in the next five years. This figure is supported by the 2011 Digital Media Research Overview (Australia and New Zealand) from Price Waterhouse Coopers and Frost & Sullivan which conveys that 86% of online shoppers expect to increase their current level of online expenditure in the next 12 months. The report states that contributing factors include the strength of the Australian dollar, the rise in mobile devices, the range of choices and cheaper costs, and the added convenience. It states,
I envision our website as being a part of this ‘gift-economy’. Through a combination of well-researched news features and opinions from both media experts and experienced people in the retail industry as well as tutorials on aspects such as site design, our web features will educate ‘brick and mortar fashion retailers’ (as termed by Dr Paul Harrison on the 7pm Project) on why and how they should embrace the online environment.
Online shopping is a consumer trend that cannot be underestimated by Australian fashion retailers. An April 2011 article from The Courier Mail quotes the Australian National Retail Association in stating that Internet shopping will cause 50,000 Australians to lose their jobs in the next five years. This figure is supported by the 2011 Digital Media Research Overview (Australia and New Zealand) from Price Waterhouse Coopers and Frost & Sullivan which conveys that 86% of online shoppers expect to increase their current level of online expenditure in the next 12 months. The report states that contributing factors include the strength of the Australian dollar, the rise in mobile devices, the range of choices and cheaper costs, and the added convenience. It states,
“Supporting new technologies and infrastructure will be critical to [retailers] success…retailers need to consider how they leverage these technologies by integrating digital channels into the total purchase lifecycle.”
The news features and tutorials on our web feature will strive to provide useful information and practical solutions for fashion retailers going online. The accompanying diagram is an example of the type of information we will include in our news features as it provides a helpful platform for our target audience to understand the benefits of the online purchase cycle and think of ways that they can engage with the online consumer. Furthermore, our site will then provide tutorials which will demonstrate through a step-by-step process how retailers can build these services into their own website.
Have your say! As an Australian consumer do you think you will purchase from an international online retailer in the next 6 months?
Whilst personally, I have always enjoyed the tangible experience of in-store shopping, in the past year or so I have found that convenience is beginning to trump pleasure. Just last week I went into the Nike store in Bondi Junction looking for the perfect pair of running shoes. I found a pair that I loved but they didn't have my size, and the shop assistant told me that I would have to go into their city store to pick them up. Instead, I went straight home, jumped online and ordered the shoes I wanted in my size direct from the American online outlet. It saved me the trek into the CBD - not to mention that online they were about half the price that they were in the store!
ReplyDeleteI think something massive is happening in the world of online retail. If consumers can get convenience and save on expense, then there doesn't seem to be any reason why anyone won't be online in the immediate future. It's inevitable, don't you think?
Thanks for your comment Alex. I agree, it would be naive of retailers to ignore the convenience provided by online shopping. I think that sooner or later everyone will have to embrace the online environment.
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