With the onslaught of virtual models and realtime shopping apps, do we really have to say goodbye to the high street forever?
By Frances Wasem Deputy Fashion Features Editor, Harper’s Bazaar
The internet retailer philosophy is that the shopping experience shouldn’t be bland and can be just as luxurious as bricks and mortar stores. Realtime shopping apps for iPhone and iPad mean that you can still shop with your mates – even if they aren’t in the same country! It’s ironic that even though the fashion industry is obsessed with black, when
Natalie Massenet launched net-a-porter.com some 11 years ago, black just didn’t sell. In those internet infancy days, the limitations of technology ‘made everything look flat,’ says Natalie. ‘Black just didn’t shift.’
Fast forward to 2011 and technology has advanced our shopping experience beyond all recognition. Left with a heap of black clothing, Natalie had no choice but to look at the consumer technology needs, such as clear product images. Today that black tee no longer looks like a blob and we take it for granted that you can zoom in to take a look at texture (Topshop have launched a new zoom facility for that purpose), rotate a dress by 360 degrees or flip a pair of jeans over to look at the back pocket detail.
Mintel estimates that in 2011, internet shopping will grow by 15% – this despite a very shaky economy. Even more staggeringly, it’s estimated that by 2015, internet shopping will be worth £6 billion in the UK alone. As Anya Hindmarch succinctly puts it ‘this is the industrial revolution of our age. You get on board or you’ll get left behind.’
What makes internet shopping so revolutionary is that for the time-poor shopper the internet has made shopping easier than ever before. Suddenly you can get the bag of the season, whether you’re based in Notting Hill or in deepest Somerset. You don’t have to think about finding a parking space, or worry about the weather. You shop whenever you want – and now, with the rise of mobile technology, wherever you want.
The worldwide market place has become a place to explore from the comfort of your own home, as Pearl Lowe explains from her house in the country. ‘Ebay is a great place to pick up bargains that you can’t find locally.’ ASOS have just launched ASOS Market Place, which encourages anyone to sell their product online with just a few ‘street’ photos taken on their mobile. Equally, you can have access to up-and-coming designers in a way you never could before. Yoox’s thecorner.com showcases and sells young designers straight off the catwalk. For AW12, Michael Van de Ham and David Koma join the ranks. If you were chained to your desk during the January sales, there was no need to miss out on a bargain. And how much nicer is it to be in the warm, rather than tramping through the wind and snow?
Developments in iPad and iPhone technology mean shopping on the move has become supremely easy – and with 300,000 apps in the Apple store it’s getting even easier. You can now order your bikini during your down time at the airport, knowing it will arrive (via the brilliant overnight delivery service) to your villa in Thailand within days of landing.
A fuss-free, guaranteed delivery service is a very important part of the success of internet shopping. ASOS’s ecommerce director James Hart says, ‘An impeccable service is essential and we have to be as good if not better than the bricks and mortar stores.’
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