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Ever
since the Internet arrived on the scene
I've
watched in amazement as the web has
steadily overtaken one traditional powerhouse
after another. As a media guy, the most riveting
train wreck has been watching newspapers that
were once unassailable titans of the media world
wither away to next to nothing as the web
ate their lunch (latest example - the
150-year-old New Orleans Picayune announcing
it would publish only three days a week
and slash staff yet again).
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The
web has just landed another stunning
blow against another giant - this
one an even bigger Goliath than
traditional media - that is shopping.
As reported by ComputerWorld,
according to a new survey from NielsenWire,
a solid majority of U.S.
consumers (59%) said that online
was now their overall favorite way to
shop.
For
the web that is a bigger win than any
upset in sports history. If I beat
Usain Bolt in the 100-yard dash and did
it running backwards - it still wouldn't
be as shocking to me as the web's latest
conquest (though I'm sure Usain would be
scratching his head for quite
awhile). |
Online
shopping mage from Bigstock |
There's
no doubt that brick and mortar is still light
years ahead in dollar terms, but the web has
won the hearts and minds of consumers and
that means more and more dollars will
follow. Online shopping also won big on two
other metrics with 68% saying it is the easiest
way to shop and the same percentage saying
online is the most convenient method as
well.
The
web still has some work to do on a couple of
counts though. 77% of respondents said
shopping in brick and mortar stores was
safest and 69% cited traditional
shopping as the most reliable.
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Mobile
shopping image from Bigstock |
The
survey also included mobile shopping
(by smartphones or other portable devices)
in its research but mobile finished well
behind online and traditional shopping
in most categories. Only 13%
cited mobile as their favorite way to
shop. 38% said mobile was most convenient
(30 points behind online) and 27%
picked mobile as easier (over 40 points
behind online).
While
winning the the mind share race among
shoppers is a huge victory for the web I
shouldn't be that surprised. Over the
past 2-3 years, aside from groceries and
clothing, I have done the majority of my
shopping online. It is a rare day that
the UPS truck doesn't stop at my
house with another box from Amazon
(I get more than my money's worth from
Amazon's $79 a year Prime membership
that provides free two-day shipping on
my orders).
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I
have always considered those of us in the domain
business to be incredibly lucky to be in
a field that is at the heart of the
Internet revolution that is changing the
world in previously unimaginable ways. This
latest bit of news is yet another example of
that.
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