Let's Get Digital: Shopping in the Digital Age

Image credit: Pixabay

Shopping today is nothing like it was when our parents were in their 20s. Online shopping has completely changed the way people shop. With just the press of a button, products from around the world can show up at our doors. Regardless of if you solely shop online, exclusively in stores or do a mix of both, the sheer amount of options for shopping is revolutionary.

Since clothing can be ordered as soon as a new trend emerges, the world of “fast fashion” has, in turn, also evolved. Fast fashion refers to “cheap, trendy clothing, that samples ideas from the catwalk or celebrity culture and turns them into garments in high street stores at breakneck speed,” according to editorial assistant Solene Rauturier for “Good on You."

Perhaps the two biggest brands that come to mind when discussing “fast fashion” are Forever 21 and Zara, both of which have continued to thrive in this digital age of shopping while other stores have blundered.

“I prefer to shop online at Forever 21, but sometimes they are very hit or miss,” said freshman family science major Charissa Zhu.

What makes Forever 21 and Zara so successful? It’s their continued release of new, on trend designs throughout any given week, rather than the release of a whole new collection at the start of each season. Other stores with similar customer markets, such as Gap, American Eagle and Abercrombie & Fitch release complete collections at the start of each season, but this risks the unpredictability of new fashion trends emerging throughout the season.

Zara sends a limited number of styles and sizes to each of its stores, which also means not all Zara stores have the same pieces in stock. This is a benefit for them because if a certain piece or size does not sell well with customers, Zara has less to mark down to a clearance price in order to make room for new items.

“When you went to Gucci or Chanel in October, you knew the chances were good that clothes would still be there in February,” Masoud Golsorkhi, the editor of London fashion magazine “Tank,” said in a 2012 interview with Suzy Hansen of “The New York Times Magazine.” “With Zara, you know that if you don’t buy it, right then and there, within 11 days the entire stock will change. You buy it now or never. And because prices are so low, you buy it now.”

As for Forever 21, they utilize a similar strategy where they introduce new designs to their websites and stores as new trends emerge.

While Forever 21 and Zara have been thriving online, many malls housing physical stores have not been. The actual act of going to a store is no longer necessary in the shopping process. Malls must now entice shoppers to come to the mall to shop, because it is more efficient to shop online, according to an article written by Pamela Danziger, a market researcher on consumer behaviors, for Forbes magazine.

Danziger reported a 5% decrease in mall traffic from January 2017 through August 2018. The report predicted that 328 malls, or 30% of all malls in the United States, will likely be closed or re-purposed in the next decade. Malls now must create an experience for shoppers, rather than just revolve around shopping and eating.

Companies, like Target, are beginning to focus on offering more specialty consultants in stores, so consumers have more of a reason to stop in the store, according to Associate Clinical Professor of Management and Organization Nicole Coomber.

“Brands are looking for a way to draw customers into their stores,” Coomber said.

By offering a makeup consultant in stores, consumers can learn which makeup they should actually be buying and what personally will work for them, for example.

“Sure, customers can order makeup online from Amazon for cheaper than it would be at Target, but they don’t get the specialty of a makeup consultant online,” Coomber said.

In addition to adding more specialized consultants in stores for shoppers, many stores are looking to pop-up shops to draw shoppers into their stores. Pop-up shops are typically held in stores for a limited amount of time, featuring a brand that is sold usually exclusively online. Also, in a plea to get consumers to come into their stores, some brands are sending out coupons that are only redeemable in stores, according to Coomber.

A few of the suggested ideas reported in the aforementioned Forbes article revolve around curating malls and creating more outdoor malls. Curating a mall would mean carefully selecting which stores are in each mall, so that the same stores don’t appear in each establishment.

The idea of outdoor malls is popular because it allows customers to park in front of the stores that they want to shop at while still being near similar stores. This promotes shopping efficiency.

Another trend arising from the digital era of shopping is the concept of “closet-sharing” apps and websites. Perhaps the current leader in this field is Rent the Runway. The concept is simple: customers can view thousands of designer items online and rent them out for a specific amount of time. Their tagline is “Why buy when you can rent?”

NBC’s “Parks and Recreation” presented a similar idea in a 2012 episode where the business “Rent-a-Swag” was created. Just like Rent the Runway, this allowed patrons to rent clothes from Aziz Ansari’s character, Tom. While comical on the show, the idea is fitting for this digital age of shopping. Users can get what they want, when they want it, without paying the full price of designer brands.

Since the start of Rent the Runway in 2009, the company has introduced a few different subscription services and the company has been doing overwhelmingly well with revenues well over $100 million, according to a 2016 Forbes report.

Coomber expects an increase in the marketing of closet-sharing websites, such as Rent the Runway. She sees this industry taking off, especially for niche areas like maternity clothes. These clothes aren’t typically needed for long-term use.

“I know a few friends who have used Rent the Runway [for prom dresses] and it seems like such a good idea. Spending all that money for some clothes you may not wear a lot of times seems wasteful,” freshman elementary education major Rachel Herman said.

Closet sharing apps are surely a different way of acquiring clothing brought on by this digital age of shopping, but a strong benefit of these is the sustainability factor. With clothing being shared and “rented out,” less clothing from “fast fashion” stores are bought and discarded.

Shopping has changed significantly during the past decades in the fashion industry, but what will the next decade look like in terms of shopping trends? Honestly, the sky’s the limit and the digital age is just getting started.