There has been some downsizing of large commodity enterprises like Wallmart and other similar entities. The domination of the shopping landscape by large online shopping enterprises like Amazon is being blamed for the fallout. Do you think that online shopping will cause a greater fallout in instore activities?
They are all blaming Amazon and the internet, but it does boil down to prices and customer service. Wal-Mart has a difficult reputation with paying staff poorly, and also long lines. If you can buy the things at the same price then why got to Wal-Mart? These places relied on the low prices to bring people back, but when other place swith the same prices and better service appeared, they didn't do anything to keep the loyal customer.
At the moment the only reason why numerous people still buy what they need in stores is because they get what they want immediately but as should the online stores find ways of delivering items which their customers buy but still keep the shipping fees low enough for them to compete against brick and mortar stores then very few people will buy anything from brick and mortar stores. Nonetheless statistics indicate that by 2018 more than 218 million people in the U.S will buying their stuff online.
I think the dominance of online shopping now is also contributed to the convenience that people have when they shop online. You can shop anytime even in your pajamas. This is most convenient too for busy people who have no time to personally go to physical stores and buy the items they need. Unless all walk-in stores would have an online service available for customers who shop online, they would really be dominated by the rising online shopping sites.
I think that it may even be this type of situation, where people are stressed out and strapped for time, and so instead of going out shopping many people prefer to sit at their computer and order things online - not only because of the wider variety of items available - but because many people have anxiety disorders these days, and or do not have time to go out shopping in stores.
The internet is killing many industries right now.. and it makes sense. If you're not prepared for the customer of the future (heck, the now even), then expect to fall. As the babyboomers continue to drop off, the market completely changes. Even people on tv are being laid off.. magazines.. there are no safe jobs anymore and it's turning into a modern day depression. EVERYthing needs to be inspected and overhauled.. nobody wants to go anywhere for anything anymore if they're promised right now from their own home. Larger companies are giving VERY quick shipping now and that will only spread further.. there will be no need for stores when you can take your chance online and return it if need be. It's really the only risk and inconvenience of online shopping anymore.
I think this trend will continue because online shopping is more convenient and sometimes cheaper than shopping in offline stores, so it's not surprising. Just like when ebooks became popular. More and more people used them instead of buying real books, so bookstore sales suffered.
We talked about this topic in sociology class when I was in high school, which was like nine years ago now. We talked about how people who did not own computers and people who did not have access to the internet, would be left behind - the world would leave them behind. Well I definitely think that the same is true for those businesses themselves. They are going to have to do something to stem the bleeding.
I think so but not in any massive or excessive way, just maybe the natural order of things. I think it's natural for old businesses to fade once new types replace them, but there will most likely always be a need for physical stores. It's just that these days I think for physical stores to survive they have to have some sort of online program running in the background as a supplement and unfortunately not all of them do it or maybe they just didn't do so early enough.
