Week 1
Come out of your home and go on the streets. Have you noticed that you are surrounded by colorful and memorizing flyers, adverts, news and brochures. From day to day there are new brands with interesting logos, who offer variety of new combination of colours, style and we are absorbed in them.
Today I chose to write about whether people choose to shop online or they prefer to go to the store and actually try the product and for that I chose H&M because i really like the brand and I also like their website for online shopping. I made that research based on online statistics and news articles.
Lets start with the history behind the store.
The first store opens in 1947 in a Swedish city “Västerås” by Erling
Persson. First, the brand is called Hennes, according to “The H&M group
– the first 70 years”. The story continues with the opening of the second store in Norway and from 1968 till now, the store changes its name from “Hennes” to “Hennes & Mauritz” and finally to H&M. Through the years the brand has opened stores in many countries like England, Germany, the Netherlands, France, USA ect.
The store nowadays offers a variety of clothing and beauty cosmetics products in the men, women and kids categories.
According to “Statistics“, “the company operates over 5,000 stores worldwide and employs over 120,000 people. H&M was considered to be the fourth most valuable apparel brand in the world; behind Nike, ZARA and Adidas as of 2019.”
H&M also created an online store where you can choose the desired product only by following some steps, sitting comfortable in your house without needing going to the store.
Are you actually one of these people who prefer to shop online or go to the actual store?
I read an interesting article in “Harvard Business Review” who gathered information from 1500 people from USA about their shopping journey. The research shows that people who shop online have 25% bigger baskets rather than buying directly from the store. Another interesting fact is that when a person visits the store and then decide to shop online, his basket is 64% larger and because of this the retailers are trying to make the image of the store more appealing to people.
Lets get back to H&M.
Personally, I like online shopping, however, sometimes I prefer to have a physical contact with the product because, for example, I can’t buy shoes online because it’s not only important to know your size, but also to actually try the shoes and decide if they are comfortable or not.
If I have to buy something from H&M I would rather shop online because I can trust the staff with my purchase, the order will be send on time and the package would be exactly what I saw online.
Actually, according to “Internet Retailing”, “H&M has reported a 22% lift in online sales in its latest full-year figures, after twelve months in which the fashion retailer moved to future proof its business and to further integrate store and online sales across its markets. In the UK, it said, online sales grew by 38% while sales in stores fell by 1%. That meant overall growth of 8%. In countries including China (+24%), India (+43%), and Russia (+27%) sales grew both in physical stores and online.”
So…
In conclusion, I think that every person has a different opinion in this matter. Some people prefer online shopping, while others prefer in-store, each choice has its own advantages and disadvantages and in the end even if you buy online or in-store, you will receive the same product.
Kristiyana Urumova 
It’s good that you put links in for your sources, however just be careful to proof read (Statista not statistics)
LikeLiked by 1 person
In my opinion, the reason behind customers preferring online shopping rather than in-store shopping is that sometimes it’s too bothering and annoying going to stores on their most active times, and for that reason, people lose their patience while shopping. For example, if I’m shopping in a quiet period of time, I spend more time in-store and that increases my chance to buy more products, if I’m shopping online, I always tend to get more than I want, most of the times because they have pack promotions, per example, if Im going to buy a phone, there’s a pop-up saying that I can get some acessories for less price.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Interesting read! Love that you have added its history, stats about them. Well, looking at it, why not? When we buy online, nobody’s watching or judging you, so obviously we’d tend to buy more, might even think ”I’ll add this too coz If it doesn’t fit I just return it”. Now, depends with whom we shop but you can link that with psychographics for another post. Keep it up!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi, I loved your post!! I totally agree with all your points and you put some really interesting facts! I really like fashion and beauty matters. I love having a lot of different clothes to create some nice outfits but I must say that I hate shopping. I don’t feel really confident going in a shop and looking for nice pieces, and the worst thing… try on! I really feel oppressed so I prefer shopping online. However I am also struggling with online shopping because I am quite small so I never know if the jeans or the dress will look good on me, this is why I am really grateful with the free return policies for online shopping!! Well done Krissi!
LikeLike
Hello , I like your post . It has valid points . I like that you have inserted the history of your favourite store . The internet service offers the availability to use it from your device at home, but the in-store shopping you can ask the staff questions about your outfit that you are planning to buy, for example I really liked a shirt but I didn’t knew what to match it with, so I went and asked one of the staff members and he helped me complete my outfit (which that means I bought more items that if I bought the shirt on its own online ). If the internet service provide this kind of assistance then I don’t need to go physically to the stores while I get the same and better experience on the internet. Keep up the good work .
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very interesting post, very informative. I believe online shopping is far more comfortable since you can buy whatever you want from your bed with a few clicks. However, being actually present while shopping is way better for the end result. You see the product, think wether it’s right for you and make an informative decision, while online shopping might sometimes really disappoint you. Think before you buy.
LikeLike
Hi! First of all, I want to say that i found your post really interesting. To be honest, I’d rather go to the store and try on clothes because this way I can see if I like for example, the way a dress looks and more importantly if it looks good on me. Of course, it’s easier to chill at home and buy clothes online but by doing this I belive that we are not able to feel that joy and excitement from actually going to the store and search for these jeans we were looking for. In addition, I would like to say that despite our busy days we should all find some time for ourselves to relax because shopping is considered as a therapy.
LikeLike