Footwear Insight

INTERNET RETAILING SPEEDS UP THE ENTIRE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE. BROWSING, buying, delivery. And even buyer's remorse. A recent column in the New York Times by novelist Teddy Wayne made the case that buyer's remorse is actually worse following Internet shopping because after you make the purchase you are besieged by numerous digital come-ons to buy the same item at a lower price, or to buy similar items, which may be better than what you bought. Wayne's column was inspired by his online purchase of a pair of casual sneakers, a decision with which he was satisfied until he began being haunted with online ads that made him second guess what he had bought. "As online shopping continues to creep into our lives, consumers may feel regret more acutely than they do with traditional retail." The novelist backs his point of view with the oft-cited theory of psychologist Barry Schwartz, who believes that "increased options leave us more dissatisfied." That argument is a strong case for the curated assortments that great specialty stores offer. I love shopping good specialty stores because I am able to buy that retailer's taste level. He's done the editing for me to make my shopping easier. And that will greatly reduce the possibility of buyer's remorse. Brick-and-mortar retailers have other great advantages over their online competitors, according to Wayne. The "tactile interaction" shoppers get in stores make them more likely to buy and way more likely to build a powerful connection to the item they purchase. Here again Wayne backs his point with some impressive research from branding expert Martin Lindstrom, who has conducted studies on what makes consumers buy a product and how they feel about it after. In one such study, 34 percent of people who asked an employee for a product in a supermarket and were made to touch it, ended up buying it. Only 21 percent purchased when the employees merely pointed it out to them. Wayne compares in-store shopping to cooking your own meal, while ordering online is like bringing in takeout. It fills you up, but it lacks the intimacy and emotional connection of a prepared meal. Shopping in a great store fulfills that emotional experience. You are a hunter and gatherer. You are often sharing the experience with others. And if all goes the way it should you are being treated with courtesy and respect, two social niceties that are increasingly lacking in today's world, particularly the online version. Lindstrom offers two other useful tidbits in Wayne's column. He says dopamine kicks in when we're buying stuff and that the experience of buying in-store – even when shoppers have to work at it – make consumers less likely to return an item. He also says paying cash builds a stronger connection between the purchaser and the item purchased, also making it less likely that they will return it. Like most good tales, Wayne's column has a happy ending. After buying his casual sneakers, he began shopping online for running shoes. There he was scared off by negative reviews. Too much information clouded his decision making. So he retreated to the security of a run specialty store, where he got knowledagble advice and good service. He tried on and touched several pair of shoes and after making his purchase left the store with no regrets. O BUYER'S REMORSE DOESN'T LIVE HERE TIMEOUT | MARK SULLIVAN Ordering online is like bringing in takeout. It fills you up, but it lacks the intimacy and emotional connection of a prepared meal. INTRODUCING A L B E R T The Revolutionary 3D Foot Scanner Aetrex is bringing consumers back into stores like never before with Albert, its revolutionary 3D foot scanner. Albert captures unmatched data and information about feet, enabling consumers to make more educated buying decisions when it comes to footwear and orthotic purchases. Albert offers the most sophisticated, interactive, in-store scanning experience to date. Te l : 8 0 0 - 5 2 6 - 2 7 3 9 | F a x : 8 0 0 - 5 2 6 - 0 0 7 3 w w w. a e t re x t e c h n o l o g y. c o m

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