<p><strong>Big-box meet Online Retailing, play nice…</strong></p>
<p>Have you ever walked out of a big-box store, after making a purchase, and wondered… Could I have found this at a better value somewhere else? Is this the newest model? Should I have looked in the newspaper for a coupon first? Well, in the future there will be no need to worry about these questions nearly as much. Thanks, to the leaps forward that the web-based retailer has made. Online retailers are going to shut down the big-box stores and revamp Americas’ local town centers.</p>
<p>There are lots of great online retailers on the web and they are getting better all the time. Online retailers are continually updating the features and functions of their websites such as shopping carts, suggestions, pictures and information about the products. Also, the additions of new technologies like APIs that are key to future development of online shopping are being improved significantly (replicate big-box retailers). All of these improvements make online shopping not only more convenient, but also improve the shopping experience as a whole. As Consumer Reports has shown, that people who shop online for electronics are more satisfied than those who purchased from a big-box store (Buying electronics.) Online retailers are steadily gaining the trust of Americans as privacy, security and ease of use all improve on the Internet. Also online retailers are also beginning to find ways to guarantee satisfaction. With policies like Lands End’s return policy, if you don’t like the product, Lands End includes a prepaid shipping-return label for your convenience at no charge to you. As patrons of the online retailers continue to get comfortable and technology begins to make things more user-friendly and intuitive, the big-box stores may suffocate themselves.</p>
<p>Big box stores over the last decade have been overleveraging themselves and did not properly take into consideration the Webs future effects on retail business. Instead they looked at past data and provided detailed growth charts based on the past, with not enough insights and consideration to the future. Big-box stores with their vast parking lots and huge buildings that must always be located on prime property, have huge property overhead cost. Additionally, big-box stores have huge overhead tied up in the consumers buying experience. Big-box stores must heat and cool their huge buildings to comfortable temperatures, make sure the lighting is aesthetically pleasing, and present everything everywhere in ways that are eye catching and appeasing, it is no longer good enough to have the product on the shelf, every product must stand-out.</p>
<p>Online retailers have many advantages over big-box stores. Online retailers just have to make it easy for the consumer to find the product, via quick search features, then show a few great photos and provide a description, many websites also offer peer reviews so you can see what people who have purchased the product have to say about the quality of the purchase. As technology increases and the importance of quality products at best values becomes more important, the big-box stores will slowly wither away, but there will still be great need for small retailers.</p>
<p> As online retailers start to swallow up the retail business, there will be parts of the retail business they won’t be able to compete with. For example produce and meats, consumers have a need to choose their own produce and meats that are best for their situation. Say, you are planning to make a peach pie in three days, you would choose a different peach than if you were going to eat it, right when you got to your car, whereas, cereal and other non-perishable items can be conveniently delivered to your home. Therefore smaller neighborhood grocers that offer fresh produce, meats, and convenience items will become a necessary supplement to the online movement. Additionally, women will always love the shopping experience that offers the unique bonding experience of asking your best friend how your butt looks and men will still need their hardware stores, because we don’t really know how to fix things we just make it up as we go. So, there will be a revival of town shops, farmers markets and specialty shopping centers, but the majority of the items we will buy, will come from the competitive marketplace, the web, and Americas small town centers will thrive with friendly people and unique local culture. </p>
<p>Bibliography</p>
<p>Asay, Matt. "<a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-13505_3-10050862-16.html">How do you replicate big-box retailers online? Mahery has an answer.</a>" CNET News. 25 Sept. 2008. 9 June 2009.</p>
<p>"<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9916116/">Buying electronics: Big-box stores vs. online</a>." MSNBC. 3 Nov. 2005. Associated Press. 9 June 2009;.</p>
<p>Rudolf, John C. "<a href="http://zoniereport.com/2009/03/the-decline-and-fall-of-the-big-box-store/">The decline and fall of the big-box store.</a>" The Zonie Report. 2 Mar. 2009. 9 June 2009.</p>
2009-08-14T19:07:50Z
-4.068
241
5939
true
4
39530
big-box-meet-online-retailing-play-nice
1
2009-08-16T09:23:09Z
2009-08-16T16:26:14Z
Big Boxes in a decade will be a thing of the past and Americas small town centers will thrive with friendly people and unique local culture.
Big Box meet Online Retailing, play nice...
1
2009-08-16T16:26:14Z