Shopping is not what it once was. But not that long ago, there were so many retail stores in so many places to shop, the consumer had an abundance of choice.
Drum roll. Yeah, the GFC, and no, I am not talking about the Geelong Football Club, but rather the global financial crisis that smashed into retailers like a bowling ball in a crystal store, no pun intended. Things changed. What was being experienced by retailers as good times and boom and plenty of trade, not so gradually turned into a retailing drought.
Not only do retailers have to contend with unprecedented savings within the community, job losses and an overall lack of willingness to part with hard-earned cash, we have a new player in the game … the online trader. And to make matters worse, most of these retailers that are trading online are from competitors not even in the same country. So their products are made with cheaper labor, cheaper parts, and are not subject to the goods and services tax system in Australia.
Anecdotally, we have been hearing stories of sales dropping by as much as half of what was being experienced only two years ago. Local manufacturers are shutting their doors, many retailers are struggling to keep theirs open. Whilst the federal government is fiddling around with some proposed legislation regarding applying goods and services taxes to imported goods, to try and make it a more level playing arena, those who make a living from retailing to the general public still need to find an avenue to supply their trade.
So, does everybody go online? Well more and more diseases are opting to take an online portion of their already existing website in an attempt to capture some of that lost trade that is disappearing on the Internet. But just like in the old days there was only so many stores you could fit on Main Street, there are only so many places on the Internet where traders can actually be found. You have probably seen it before, you need to get in the top 10 position rankings in Google. This is the virtual Main Street. This is the virtual mall. This is the virtual shopping center.
Well, there is still a market out there to be supplied, it just so happens that that market has changed …. radically. And so, smart retailers can use consolidated sites where consumers and shoppers can go to to get multiple things in the one place. EBay has been around for a long time, but has never really grabbed high end or brand-new retail markets. There are a few other retail websites attempting to be shopping malls, but quite too often, but trying to be all things to all people.
Consumers like to shop locally, and the touch and feel experience one can only have whilst physically shopping still exists. But unlike the olden days of people perhaps getting out the phone book, people looking online to find out what is on sale and do their research before jumping in their car.
We have found one website that offers up-to-date and local consumer bargains in a no-nonsense layout. www.SaleMelbourne.com.au showcases local retail stores and allows them to promote their latest products and specials at no cost. And as the name suggests, it is pretty much exclusively for those who live in Melbourne.
Retail is not dead and is not likely to be for sometimes to come as people do enjoy a traditional shopping experience, it is just the way that shopping research has changed, and smart retailers need to be proactive, think outside the box, and change the way that they have been promoting their products to compete in the current and future retail climate.
Drum roll. Yeah, the GFC, and no, I am not talking about the Geelong Football Club, but rather the global financial crisis that smashed into retailers like a bowling ball in a crystal store, no pun intended. Things changed. What was being experienced by retailers as good times and boom and plenty of trade, not so gradually turned into a retailing drought.
Not only do retailers have to contend with unprecedented savings within the community, job losses and an overall lack of willingness to part with hard-earned cash, we have a new player in the game … the online trader. And to make matters worse, most of these retailers that are trading online are from competitors not even in the same country. So their products are made with cheaper labor, cheaper parts, and are not subject to the goods and services tax system in Australia.
Anecdotally, we have been hearing stories of sales dropping by as much as half of what was being experienced only two years ago. Local manufacturers are shutting their doors, many retailers are struggling to keep theirs open. Whilst the federal government is fiddling around with some proposed legislation regarding applying goods and services taxes to imported goods, to try and make it a more level playing arena, those who make a living from retailing to the general public still need to find an avenue to supply their trade.
So, does everybody go online? Well more and more diseases are opting to take an online portion of their already existing website in an attempt to capture some of that lost trade that is disappearing on the Internet. But just like in the old days there was only so many stores you could fit on Main Street, there are only so many places on the Internet where traders can actually be found. You have probably seen it before, you need to get in the top 10 position rankings in Google. This is the virtual Main Street. This is the virtual mall. This is the virtual shopping center.
Well, there is still a market out there to be supplied, it just so happens that that market has changed …. radically. And so, smart retailers can use consolidated sites where consumers and shoppers can go to to get multiple things in the one place. EBay has been around for a long time, but has never really grabbed high end or brand-new retail markets. There are a few other retail websites attempting to be shopping malls, but quite too often, but trying to be all things to all people.
Consumers like to shop locally, and the touch and feel experience one can only have whilst physically shopping still exists. But unlike the olden days of people perhaps getting out the phone book, people looking online to find out what is on sale and do their research before jumping in their car.
We have found one website that offers up-to-date and local consumer bargains in a no-nonsense layout. www.SaleMelbourne.com.au showcases local retail stores and allows them to promote their latest products and specials at no cost. And as the name suggests, it is pretty much exclusively for those who live in Melbourne.
Retail is not dead and is not likely to be for sometimes to come as people do enjoy a traditional shopping experience, it is just the way that shopping research has changed, and smart retailers need to be proactive, think outside the box, and change the way that they have been promoting their products to compete in the current and future retail climate.
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