It is understood that the form of shopping behavior changes with the times. In the past, the role of welcoming consumers was divided according to the type of business, such as department stores, supermarkets, discount stores, and convenience stores. It was common for consumers to buy food for daily meals at supermarkets. And consumers purchased non-daily products such as fashion and luxury goods at department stores. Of course, buying online is also becoming common. There are various rituals before the actual purchase. Even for those who buy online, it seems that it is becoming common to check the product in a physical store before buying. It is interesting, but many consumers enjoy this check. Retailers are also required to consider providing shopping enjoyment that goes beyond the purchase for customers.
In recent consumer behavior research, attention has been focused on consumer well-being. If it is just convenience, e-commerce should often be advantageous in terms of time and price. However, when looking at the actual purchasing behavior of consumers, there are fewer people who only buy in stores or only online. “Exploration” and “interest” are also important factors in consumer shopping. Some people value the time they spend walking around the stores, rather than buying a specific item. As a result of enjoying the experience, they end up buying things. Consumers do not want a specific item or service, but rather want to use it to accomplish something and feel a sense of accomplishment and happiness. There are various patterns of shopping. There are “necessity shopping” to purchase practical items needed for daily life, “entertainment shopping” for entertainment purposes, and “intellectual desire shopping” to learn about market trends and changes. These do not necessarily involve purchases. But they are fun.
If you do not have services or know-how that other companies do not have, you will fall into a long-term decline. If everyone is aware of the purpose and issues and comes up with ideas to solve them, sales will increase and the store will have a large net profit. There are “necessity shopping” to purchase practical items needed for daily life, “entertainment shopping” for entertainment purposes, “therapy shopping” for healing, and “intellectual desire shopping” to learn about market trends and changes. It seems that going forward, companies will be required to develop their own unique identity in response to these sales patterns.
