Online shopping is on the rise, sure, but does that mean traditional retail is virtually dead? ELLE asked two writers to debate the issue.
PRO Traditional shopping
Be it resolved that bricks-and-motar stores will always be desirable. It's all about soul, people!
The scene: Saturday afternoon at Holt Renfrew in Toronto. Women perched on high stools in front of brightly lit makeup counters dab on lipstick shades fresh from the catwalk. Perfume from the Chanel boutique wafts overhead as a sales associate rushes past in a blur of colour from the shimmering cocktail dress he’s taking to a client waiting in a luxuriously appointed dressing room.
Tracy Fellows, vice-president of marketing for Holt Renfrew, likens this spectacle to “retail theatre.” “It’s really about an entire experience,” she says. “It can be the unique window displays, the excitement of a celebritydesigner appearance or the feeling of being in an art gallery as you look at all the beautiful pieces in the store.”
Of course, you could always point, click and buy, but that doesn’t seem quite the same.
There’s no denying the importance and influence of the Internet when it comes to shopping, but Fellows says she thinks that many customers prefer to use it for research, not purchasing. “They look at trends and gather information before coming into the store to see what’s available. They need to know that these clothes are going to work for them in person.”
How it works in person is key. Stephanie Malley, an avid shopper who lives in Montreal, says that online shopping isn’t as convenient as it’s made out to be. “I’m never sure if the colour is exactly how it looks on my computer or if that shoe really is a size 9,” she says. “There’s an uncertainty about what I’m getting. In person, I can see it and try it on, and if I need a different size, a salesperson can help me. It’s almost like a partnership rather than a solitary mission.”
Learn more about the retail and online shopping 'partnership' on the next page ...
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