The Future Of Shopping - eCommerce Series

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New research by Alix Partners shows that 43% of shoppers want to buy less in the future. And if they shop, it will be more online.

70% of Chinese consumers say they will shop more online in the future than before. Other countries have different and lower numbers.

• China: 70%
• U.K.: 43%
• Switzerland: 43%
• Germany: 39%
• Italy: 31%
• Japan: 29%

What surprised me the most was the numbers for the U.S. Only 29% of the shoppers say they will shop more online, the country with the most prominent online retailers in the world like Amazon, ASOS, and most big technology players like Facebook, Spotify, YouTube, Google, Snapchat,.. are headquartered.

The report also showed that younger people age between 18 to 24, in all the researched countries, are concerned about mental health.

What does more online shopping and worries about mental health have in common? That's interesting. As mental health is related to not being able to go out, meet friends, do stuff together.

Every weekend, I walk in the city, looking at how people shop, where they shop and now the shops reopen after the lockdown; I see a lot of youngster meeting each other, having drinks together, and shop together.

I am 100% sure that eCommerce will grow in the future; simultaneously, I am convinced that moving just online is the wrong way of thinking.

Humans, and yes shoppers are humans, are social animals. We need to have interaction with our friends & family. We want to go outside, have dinner with friends and shopping.

Youngsters are visiting shops together; Youngsters shop together as what they wear is how they represent themselves. Especially today, where life is going so fast, Fashion is an instant language.

The future of retail, Fashion etc., is not only online. If "traditional" retailers want to win against the internet retailer, they need to turn their shop from a liability into an asset.

Online and offline experiences can be and should be complementary.

Research showed physical stores boost online sales and online sales also increase sale inside the store. Does it really matter if you sell online or in-store? You want to engage with your customers and sell to your consumers, independently which channel they use.

As a founder of an eCommerce platform Masha.ai, I love to visit stores. Not all stores! I visit the stores that are exciting, entertaining and emotionally engaging. Call it fun.

Can smaller local businesses give this fun experience? Yes, they can.
Take the example of Jordan's Furniture, a New England chain. When we think of furniture, most of us think of Ikea. And most furniture shops are boring. Well, Jordan's Furniture is using themed "streets" and achieved the best sales ever.

Being creative in how you present your products/service in-store, offering a fun experience, + be accessible online is the way for retail.

What do you think about the battle between online and in-store shopping?

As a consumer of a brand, put your thoughts in the comments; I will read them, reply and discuss them in the following episodes.

Subscribe Today the next episode will be about "Your store is a warehouse, a fun warehouse."