2011-10-24
Reliable Shoes In Austere Times
Clarks shoes are amongst one of the many things you can find online these days. Who ever said shoe shopping should be contained to the high street was obviously ten years behind the times when it comes to the power of the internet. As prices rise and incomes drop, retailers are slowly beginning to understand the power and economic benefits to online shopping. For the shopper, it means the choice has never been easier to make.
Buying reliable footwear is a priority for most of us now. We generally don’t mind spending a little more if it means we spend less later on. However the high street is still charging on average up to 30% more for the same goods you can find online. This differential is the cause behind the high street struggle many shops are facing. Shoe retailers in particular need to take extra care on the high street as the online world is beginning to catch up with the offline world. The reason Clarks shoes are consistently popular at the moment is mainly due to the fact that they are durable, long lasting and now more often then not, more affordable online rather then on the high street.
So what’s the big deal then? You still need to try shoes on don’t you? Yes of course that will always remain true and it is at this hurdle that you would think the high street has an advantage over the internet. Yet that too is a false assumption. People have begun to clue on quickly at how easy it is to trot down to the local high street, try on the shoes they’re interested in buying and then trot back home and buy them for £30 cheaper off the internet. Companies globally have begun to realise the advantage of selling their products online rather then on the high street.
Of course there will always be a need for the high street. After all, there are some things that you just cannot truly browse on the internet. If nothing else the high street needs to be ever present as a showroom for all the goods we may purchase off the internet in the future. The ‘try before you buy’ mantra is still pertinent in the online age and the internet is not yet equipped to deal with that demand. Despite many retailers offering goods to the consumer within 24 hours, it still doesn’t compare to just going down to the high street or shopping centre and trying what you want right then and there. Online shopping may be more efficient in locating exactly what you want, but it falls short of offering the tactile experience most shoppers need.
As we move into the second decade of the 21st Century the price war is bound to heat up even more intensely especially as the world moves through a challenging time economically. However smart retailers are learning to balance the need for a tactile shopping experience with a virtual one. Which side will emerge victorious? Only time will tell. However at the moment, the online shopping experience has a distinct advantage over the offline one.
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