Monday, July 30, 2007

Case Study: How The Web Is Driving More In Store Sales --> Laptop Comptures

In an article in last week's Wall Street Journal entitled PC Shopping: Online vs. In The Store, the author points to an interesting case study of multi-channel shopping behavior around the purchase habits of laptop computers. One such quote that sums this up was...

All this has taken a big bite out of online PC sales. During the first five months of this year, 60% of PCs sold to consumers were bought in a store -- the highest share this decade -- up from just under 53% two years ago, according to NPD Group Inc.

This trend is really being powered by the web's growing influence over in-store sales, most specifically how the empowerment of product information, reviews and research is affecting consumer's buying habits. Another quote from the article said...

In revamping their sites, online vendors are trying to take advantage of the fact that many consumers research their PC purchases online. According to a May study from Forrester Research, 66% of PC sales in stores are influenced by online research.

Now this trend on in-store purchasing could be related back to the simple fact that some items are best purchased in-store. The classic examples are of furniture and appliances. I never thought laptops were in this same category, but the data seems to support this fact. Here is a sound byte from an industry expert that was referenced in the article...

While user reviews and online videos may appeal to consumers who are purchasing their second or third PCs, novice tech buyers have more reasons to shop at retail stores, says Richard Shim, an analyst for research firm IDC. First-time PC buyers typically learn more through a tactile experience at a store -- for instance, when choosing between a 12-inch or 17-inch screen. Also, retailers can often help set up the computer, for example, in a home's wireless network, through specialized services.

So it appears the brick and mortar guys are taking heed to this new trend. To close, here are a new real examples that were offered up in this article...

Retailers are working hard to continue increasing their share of PC purchases. Many are increasing their selection of notebook computers and beefing up accessories such as software and carrying cases. H-P and Dell are now also working with retailers to build exclusive PC designs or configurations for their customers. Over the past year, Office Depot Inc. has shifted to instant rebates from mail-in rebates for certain PC models, making it simpler and less confusing for customers to buy PCs.

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