Shock: People Research And Buy Stuff Whichever Way Makes The Most Sense
from the do-whatever-works-best dept
In some ways, you have to wonder why studies like this are even worth doing any more. The latest is yet another study saying that people buy products in retail stores after shopping online for them. Of course, other studies have said the exact same thing in the past. Then, of course, there are the studies which have said the opposite: people shop in stores, but buy online. These two things aren't mutually exclusive. All it really says is that people like to research products in the best way that they can (online for detailed info and reviews, offline to actually see/touch the product and to talk to employees who can answer questions) and then buy it in the way that best fits their needs (whatever is cheaper and/or more convenient based on what they need). None of this should be even remotely surprising -- and neither means that either online or offline stores are in trouble. It just means that both offline and online retail have advantages and disadvantages and (amazingly enough) people have pretty much figured out the differences.
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