Once upon a time, there was online shopping

November 5, 2006 on 11:46 am | In Psychology |

Once upon a time, there was the dotcom boom and its visionaires dreamed of how the internet is going to change the way we shop. Business-to-business sales quickly picked up whereas business-to-customer lagged. For some reason, customers didn’t hop on the excitement of the new internet train the way the visionaires expected them to.

It worked for some goods like books (Amazon) and computer hardware (Dell), but for the most part consumers remained absent despite elaborate attempts to trick them into the WWW. I remember some writer being enthusiastic in the advent of the Pentium III processor how it will allow her to rotate 3D representations of the clothes she is going to shop for online. I remember the TV report on the warehouse that employs skaters with a webcam while the customers sits at home and directs them towards the desired good. Looks like neither approach has picked up a whole lot of success.

However, this week I have noticed how my own shopping behavior has changed. It hasn’t changed into what the visionaires with their simplicistic models dreamed of, but into something that uniquely fits me.

As I am done with my university I am looking for the next challenge. Newton has encouraged me to learn how to play the guitar. He sent me a long email with explanations and links concerning the Fender Telecaster and the Stratocaster. Besides wikipedia articles I also checked out YouTube and the company website. However, there was no information relating to me as a potential Swiss customer. So the next logical step was to step out and tour the local music shops in Solothurn. Back home and rich with experiences I watched some more YouTube and also caught up with my wikipedia reading (Epiphone, Ibanez, and Washburn). Soon I am going to write an e-mail to Newton asking for his advice again.

Clearly, those visionaires who believed I will order my goods alone based on some “customer-experience” website have been wrong. Those who believed that I am going to use the variety of sources the internet offers to support my decision making have been right. E-Mail connects me with my pal and his unique experience. The company website shows me the range of their products. Wikipedia explains the company’s history and its embedding in culture. YouTube lets me observe the instruments in their natural settings with real users. And the friendly local dealer has the real things hanging on the wall, lets me experience their color, weight and size, and will eventually come up with a good deal for me.

This is how shopping is supposed to be.