Shopping methods

Shopping methods

Shopping methods have changed, with various changes being implemented in the market. Data and algorithms that have been collected from various social media platforms and websites have proven that social media and websites have turned out to be significant tools used by retailers for marketing to their consumers. Some of the applications used include Facebook and WeChat and they have been said to provide users with direct forms of purchasing as well as make buying simple with a press of a button. Technology has also played a part in the improved methods of shopping with automation technologies such as the Samsung Family Hub 2.0 refrigerator which is modified to notify the user and allow them to replenish their products before they are completely consummated. Other technologies like Virtual Reality and Augmented reality have continuously been used to convince mainstream consumers on venturing down to the purchase funnel (Www.fibre2fashion.com. 2013). As a result, consumers can now shop more conveniently while retailers continue to face stiffer competition as they try to reach their prospective consumers. Consumers no longer have to go physically to the shopping stores but they can get to try on their preferred products and order them at the comfort of their homes or workplaces. By the year 2014, an estimated 43% of consumers shopped online a number which has improved to 47.3% which totals almost half of the total purchases (Markets and Markets. 2019).

Strategies have been put forward by the retailers to ensure that they acquire the trust of the consumers and one of them is by personalizing the shopping experience of the consumers and providing the consumers with easier logistics filled with incentives such as free shipping (Daxue Consulting. 2020). Retailors are on the lookout for creative and convenient ways and avenues to engage their consumers as shopping becomes increasingly streamlined. As a result, tactile marketing has been adopted as a form of increasing the shopping experience of consumers. Tactile marketing includes the use of improved connections between the consumers and the sellers through the use of technology in the form of augmented reality, Virtual reality, and 3D applications among other features. The technique contains unique features such as the ability to bring online shopping to offline stores (Www.fibre2fashion.com. 2013). Additionally, the tactile technique combines traditional retail with online advantages through constant innovation. They allow the customer to enjoy the experience of shopping by purchasing from the virtual stores and receiving their deliveries at their doorsteps.

Similarly, the fashion industry has evolved and the contemporary fashion trends rely on technology for design, production, distribution, and consumption. The presence and use of technology are essential if the fashion industry is to stay ahead on the fashion curve (Digital Wardrobes. 2019). In addition to technology, fashion has to make use of art, business strategy, and marketing as well as compassion. Augmented reality has hence stormed in the fashion industry in the last decade where it has been adopted with its unique features such as virtual fittings, virtual fashion shows, and virtual closets (Jing Daily. 2020). In the fashion industry, the use of AR has been noted to improve the experience of the consumer by the use of features such as trying on, and virtual fitting rooms. The features allow consumers to identify the type of products they would like and get them fitted on them virtually by the use of the smart mirror which presents the images in 3D (Www.fibre2fashion.com. 2013). The features also aid the consumers in choosing the type of products suitable for their skin color, hair, or eyes. As a result, AR has impacted the fashion industry from the old days of using runways to online shopping.

The adoption of the AR and VR has largely been reported to be in the Asia Pacific region, with China having the largest share in their markets which added up to 81% in 2019 (Daxue Consulting. 2020). China has been said to embrace the concept of integrating VR and AR in its consumer and retail sides. Shanghai’s Fashion Week is a fashion event in Shanghai that has shown the adoption of augmented reality in the past few years (Daxue Consulting. 2020). Other brands that have incorporated AR into their presentations include Percy Lau, Shanghai Cloud Fashion Show, and Sirloin. China’s e-commerce giants such as JD.com and Alibaba has also tapped the opportunities that have been presented by the use of AR and VR (We DoDesign. 2018). As a result, foreign companies that have no store in China get to enjoy the privilege of selling there.

Problem statement

The digital media has been welcomed by a majority of industries and the fashion industry has not been left out and it has been using digital media as means of connecting customers, brands, and labels (We DoDesign. 2018). Virtual and augmented reality have highly been adopted in the recent past as creative ways of giving the consumers unique experiences of online shopping. In the contemporary digital era, consumers can view their desired products in 3D reality through the use of AR. Retailors on the other hand are constantly trying to improve on ways they can improve the shopping experiences of their customers and that have led to the rise of digital strategies like the use of the AR. The essential question in the mind of the retailors is whether the steps that they have taken to improve the shopping experiences of their consumers has been productive. The following research hence intends to explore the impacts that tactile marketing has on the shopping experience of the consumers.

Research aim

This research study will seek to investigate whether the application of tactile marketing techniques (e.g. augmented reality, 3D applications, zooming features, and virtual try-ons) by online fashion retailers in China contributes to enhanced shopping experience among the target Chinese customers. Due to the inability to evaluate fashion products in aspects such as texture and fit a significant proportion of consumers tend to prefer to purchase such products in physical stores.

Objectives

• To investigate whether the use of tactile marketing by online fashion retailers enhance product evaluation among Chinese consumers
• To establish the impact of using tactile marketing on consumer perceived control of the online fashion shopping process
• To establish whether the use of tactile marketing increases online purchase intentions for fashion products among Chinese consumers

Significance of the research

China has been termed to excel beyond the US in terms of fashion by 2019 where the industry was found to flourish and evolve in the last decade. The industry has been found out to be doing extremely well especially with the availability of disposable income that allows a lot of middle-class Chinese to afford luxury and become more brand aware. By the year 2010, the fashion market in China had stood at $17.7 billion and was noted to fall by the year 2014 by 11% (Markets and Markets. 2019). However, the fashion industry is noted to have had improvements since the year 2018, where a study by the China Apparel Association proved that the fashion industry had a total sales of 3.08 trillion Yuan which was a 7.32% increase and in has maintained that year-on-year (Daxue Consulting. 2020). The Chinese e-commerce giants such as Alibaba, Baidu, and Tencent are in constant competition and one way to enhance their competition is by increasing their customer’s shopping experiences to ensure that they always come back for more (We DoDesign. 2018). A study on the impacts that tactile marketing has on the shopping experiences of the consumers would be of great help to such e-commerce giants in guiding them on ways to improve their experiences as they compete against each other. Due to its spending capability and large population, the country is a hub of many investors who need the right information on ways that they should increase their consumer’s experiences if they are to stay afloat in the country flooded with investors (Daxue Consulting. 2020). It will also be an important tool on the present knowledge on the impacts of tactile marketing on the shopping experiences of the consumers. Finally, the study can be a source of reference in case of other related studies that may be carried out in the future.

Operational definitions.

Tactile marketing- it is the connection present between a consumer and a product and it is enhanced by the ability of the consumer to interact with a product and hence making a better purchasing decision.

Augmented reality- it is medium through which information is added into the real world in the form of images, graphics, text, and videos. Our physical environment is usually augmented digitally by generating information that can be auditory and visual.

Virtual reality- it is where a computer-generated environment is accessed through the use of headsets.

Research structure

The research will be structured as follows; Chapter 1 – it will contain a background of the research, problem statement aims and objectives of the study, significance of the study and operational definitions; chapter 2 – this will provide a review of related studies and theoretical models as well as empirical studies; chapter 3 – this will provide the methodology used in the research; chapter 4 – the following chapter will contain data analysis and discussion of the finding from the research; Chapter 5 – the recommendations of the research and discussion are discussed in this chapter.