4 Reasons why consumers are moving to online purchases

🍵 Afternoon tea? My place? Say at 3 pm? 🍵

Why?

Cause a great salesperson will disrupt your day, change your habits and before you know it you have 12 scones when all you wanted was 1.

As a salesperson at heart, I love the thrill of being sold to so why am I moving my purchases more and more online? I love going into stores and browsing and then making my decision but more and more I am being driven out of the store and online.

Here are 4 of the top reasons that consumers are moving purchases online, and you will be interested to note that none of them are price related.

And to be clear, this is not just me. Consumers across the world agree with my list.

💳 Being ignored – As training seems to be slipping in retails stores, service is slipping too. It seems that more often than not the sales assistants are enjoying talking to each other about what happened yesterday or what is planned for tonight, while I am just trying to find that shirt I like in red.

💳 Unable to find what I am looking for – As I said, I am just looking for this shirt in red. The store is a mess, the clothes all over the place and nothing where it belongs. Don’t fear, the 4 staff on hand are at least getting their dress code under control for this evening so they will be looking fine.

💳 Lack of service – And while I am excited that they are going into the city to that really cool club I really just need that red shirt! The horror and disdain that flew at me when I interrupted the planning were enough to remind me of the time I watched Nightmare on Elm Street when I was 13 and didn’t sleep for weeks.

💳 Returns policy – Ok so I took the blue one because I just couldn’t be bothered any more but I don’t like it. So in my attempt to return it, all conditions being met, I am forced to stare at blank, accusatory faces. I am given the 3rd degree that the FBI would be proud of , all of which are spoken to someone else and not me. Ok deep breath.

I have a 10-year-old. By all accounts when he becomes a teenager I’m going to experience most of this behaviour at home soon, I don’t need to pay for the privilege.

Retail sales is hard, I know, I have been there, but basic customer service shouldn’t be.

If I hear retail stores cry foul because I am taking my business online, I would recommend they go back in store and see why that is the case. Perhaps the fault lies with the training and client service. Or perhaps not. But when I have my credit card out in my hand trying to make a purchase I think we can all safely say you lost the sale, not because of online sales but because of your customer service.

So when I went to our local bakery and the lady behind the counter disrupted my thinking with great service, anticipating my needs and rephrased her questions I walked out with a dozen scones.

Tea anyone?