Monographie Bonn-Rhein-Sieg

RETAIL BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT WORLDS – A SENSUAL SHOPPING EXPERIENCE OR “CLICK-TO-BUY”?
Ever since Johann Philipp Reis, the actual inventor of the
telephone, first said the legendary words “The horse doesn’t
eat any cucumber salad” to his brother-in-law on the phone,
technology has developed further. One could almost even
say in quantum leaps. The decision to give progress a
chance was a great idea. However, to this very day, it does
not always function. This is because the human ability to
become acquainted with new things and then deploy them
in a targeted manner can sometimes be paraphrased as
“discreetly restricted”.
Once upon a time . . .
This has a lot to do with possibilities but also a great deal
with upbringing, education, the courage to attempt something
new, and a certain willingness to take a risk. The
extremely well-known sentence “This is how we have always
done things.” is hardly suited for giving progress a chance.
Those who do not jump onto the moving train – and
essentially see themselves scampering behind (technical)
development – should not be surprised when noticing their
business survival is limited.
A prime example for the principle of “don’t dare try anything
new” is the behaviour practised time and again by stationary
retailers. The result: one store after the other has had to shut
down. The Institut für Handelsforschung Köln (Institute for
Retail Research Cologne) has forecast that every tenth retail
store in Germany will have closed by 2020. And this holds
true even though stationary retail is absolutely crucial. It
is beautiful stores, with qualified consultation, service and
a “face” that give every location its unique flair. Shopping is
a sensual pleasure. Smelling, tasting and feeling can never
be replaced by any form of Internet that can be found today.
However, all of this really doesn’t help if customers in -
creasingly take the decision to do their shopping from the
comfort of their couch.
Venturing new business models
What to do now? This big question consists of three parts:
how does the customer function? What does he want to
have? With what measures can retail business keep its
customers? And what is the answer to all these questions?
It is quite clear, actually, because many retail traders have
understood the development. For them, it is no longer a
case of the one or the other but rather of the one and the
other. Cross-channel strategies offer promising possibilities
for bundling the offers on site with the benefits offered by
the worldwide web; the option of ensuring the loyalty of
existing customers and acquiring new target groups. Here,
when shopping on the Internet, a sensual shopping ex -
perience and direct product availability on site is combined
with transparency and convenience. By means of this, the
best options of both worlds are combined.
However, it goes without saying that, for a large number of
stationary retailers, the decision to sell online is not a very
simple one. Especially because the question has to be asked
whether the effort involved in an own online shop would
be justified. This is answered with a definite yes. Yet, nobody
has to take the risk and establish the Internet selling channel
all by themselves. Much rather, it would be sensible to
search for suitable employees. This is because, when compared
with the option of going it alone, a coalition in an
interest group would provide a cost-effective alternative for
all involved parties. It is reassuring to know that there already
are quite a number of functioning examples in North Rhine-
Westphalia.
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