«You can touch»
One of the largest marketplaces has provided customers with the opportunity to pick up orders from automatic parcel terminals 24/7 — there will be no need to go to pick-up points anymore. This step towards consumers should spur interest in online shopping, but in large cities the opposite trend is increasingly observed — young people with truly childish delight are returning to shopping as a form of leisure. Not choosing and paying for a pig in a poke, but considering a potential purchase in advance — all this seems to be new to the kids. MK looked into the reasons for this rollback.
— Listen, how convenient! You can take several sizes at once to the fitting room and not pay anything in advance. And, if anything, you can immediately ask for a different color! — a very young girl tells her friend with sincere delight, choosing new clothes in a lingerie store.
— Yeah! Think about how many times you would reorder? — she answers with no less fervor.
— And why didn’t we do this before?
«So» means they didn't go to regular stores and didn't choose things in person, with the opportunity to examine, touch and try on everything, but preferred exclusively online shopping. From the outside, such delight looks at least comical and makes one sneer: like, zoomers have discovered shopping, well, well! However, the key word here is precisely «zoomers» and, if you think about the age of these girls and the era of their growing up, a lot becomes clear.
In 2020 — four and a half years ago — with the onset of the pandemic, shopping rapidly rolled into the online space: stores were closed for quarantine, but you could order anything with delivery. From a fur coat to underwear, from washing powder to a washing machine. The pandemic is over, but the habit remains — it is really convenient! Well, now let's count: those who are 20-25 years old today entered the age of economic and purchasing activity just during the years of the pandemic — and it is not surprising that online orders have become the basic model of behavior for them. This fits in perfectly with the fact that «zoomers» (as those born around 1997-2010 are called) are, in principle, considered introverts and sociophobes and strive to minimize any communication with people.
«I always ordered cosmetics online, and recently during a trip to Moscow I decided to go to a store to look at new products,» a blogger named Diana shares her revelation with readers. «It's really convenient that you can try it on right away and see how a shade of lipstick or powder looks on your skin! On the Internet, you have to rely on pictures, reviews, and photos of others. I liked it, although the crowd around is annoying and tiring.»
«You can try it» is the key argument. But, as marketing specialist Snezhana Gurova explained in an interview with an MK correspondent, real and virtual shopping should not compete, but complement each other.
— A modern brand, if it wants to be successful, must serve customers equally well both online and offline. These are different models. Online shopping helps those who do not have time to go shopping, as well as residents of small towns, where not all available goods are available. Therefore, delivery is a must. At the same time, there are those who will never buy a thing without seeing it in person. This primarily concerns cosmetics and perfumes, because you cannot open them, try them on and, if they do not suit you, return them. It is easier with clothes or equipment, — the marketer reasons.
However, the concept of «easier» is quite elastic here. It is indeed possible to arrange a return, but for this you will either need to visit the pick-up point again, or return to the post office, or call the courier to your home again. Plus fill out the appropriate form (usually on the website), plus wait a few days for the money to be returned. Much more labor-intensive than simply leaving an unsuitable item on a store shelf and forgetting about it in two minutes.
— The “order a bunch of things and then decide what to keep” format goes hand in hand with the passion for credit cards, — the marketer adds. — It’s really convenient: you spend money that’s not yours, and after you return the item, it’s returned to your card during the interest-free period. In this scenario, you can afford to pay double or even triple the amount (for different sizes or colors) for an item and then calmly wait for the return. This isn’t very suitable for those who don’t use credit cards.