With the rise of social networking and the significance of technology in general- online shopping has become a force in itself.
In 2012 Americans spent 186 billion dollars in online transactions and economists only expect that to grow.
It is easy.
Open your laptop and your inbox is instantly flooded with daily deals catered specifically to your interests.
You can spend hundreds of dollars within minutes from the comfort of your living room.
As a people, we are programmed to enjoy easy things- and as far as online shopping goes, it doesn't get much easier.
Of the 186 billion spent online, clothing sales are at the top of the charts- accounting for over 12 billion dollars of the sales in 2010.
Jewelry and home goods were not far behind.
It is impossible to deny the growing importance of online boutiques, and the question is not how long will this trend last? the question is, in what way will these boutiques evolve? I recently stumble upon the new "social marketplace" website TheCools.
Sign up,choose a category (clothing, footwear, accessories, lifestyle, vintage, latest) and within two minutes (depending on your ability to make decisions) you are able to scroll through the endless roll of items ranging from vintage designer jewelry, to signed band posters.
TheCools is set up so that a $3,000 Star Wars Stormtrooper mask is available adjacent to a set up "UFO" stamps for $8.
Your options as a member are to create a profile and explore listed items buying them from various retailers across the globe.
If you aren't in the mood to spend $1,000 on a chair, then you can simply scroll through marking the things you wish you could buy as "cool".
In addition to connecting shoppers with stylists and makers, this site gives brick and mortar shop owners the option of listing their items as well.
TheCools has virtually and literally combined key aspects of the boutique shopping experience with that of social networking sites.
On the other hand we have an abundance of "daily deals" shopping websites popping up left and right.
Websites such as HauteLook, Ideeli, Gilt, all feature new sales every day- ranging from home goods and vacation getaways, to designer clothing up to 75% off.
As a subscriber to all three websites, I can safely say that will power has nothing on a pair of $400 Marc Jacobs sunglasses down to $100.
If you are on the fence with an item in your cart (you have a ticking fifteen minute clock before it is removed), don't worry- they store your credit card information, so you don't even have to get out of bed to go check the CV2 code.
That brings us to Etsy, the online marketplace that boasts "re-imagined commerce" built in ways that "build a more fulfilling and lasting world.
" This website allows sellers to set up their own "shop" featuring either vintage or handmade products.
As a company that values fun, craftsmanship, keeping it real, authorship, and rebuilding human-scale economies, this website has emerged as a highly popular way for knitters, shoemakers, painters, illustrators, designers, and many more to get their product and their mission out into the world with little to no financial overhead (in terms of web design/leases, etc.
).
These online boutiques, along with countless others, have made a splash in the e-commerce community because they have evolved in blending elements of the intimate boutique experience with that of the highly digitized world we live in.
They have everything from quick and attentive customer service, to one-click purchasing- again, all without leaving your house.
In 2012 Americans spent 186 billion dollars in online transactions and economists only expect that to grow.
It is easy.
Open your laptop and your inbox is instantly flooded with daily deals catered specifically to your interests.
You can spend hundreds of dollars within minutes from the comfort of your living room.
As a people, we are programmed to enjoy easy things- and as far as online shopping goes, it doesn't get much easier.
Of the 186 billion spent online, clothing sales are at the top of the charts- accounting for over 12 billion dollars of the sales in 2010.
Jewelry and home goods were not far behind.
It is impossible to deny the growing importance of online boutiques, and the question is not how long will this trend last? the question is, in what way will these boutiques evolve? I recently stumble upon the new "social marketplace" website TheCools.
Sign up,choose a category (clothing, footwear, accessories, lifestyle, vintage, latest) and within two minutes (depending on your ability to make decisions) you are able to scroll through the endless roll of items ranging from vintage designer jewelry, to signed band posters.
TheCools is set up so that a $3,000 Star Wars Stormtrooper mask is available adjacent to a set up "UFO" stamps for $8.
Your options as a member are to create a profile and explore listed items buying them from various retailers across the globe.
If you aren't in the mood to spend $1,000 on a chair, then you can simply scroll through marking the things you wish you could buy as "cool".
In addition to connecting shoppers with stylists and makers, this site gives brick and mortar shop owners the option of listing their items as well.
TheCools has virtually and literally combined key aspects of the boutique shopping experience with that of social networking sites.
On the other hand we have an abundance of "daily deals" shopping websites popping up left and right.
Websites such as HauteLook, Ideeli, Gilt, all feature new sales every day- ranging from home goods and vacation getaways, to designer clothing up to 75% off.
As a subscriber to all three websites, I can safely say that will power has nothing on a pair of $400 Marc Jacobs sunglasses down to $100.
If you are on the fence with an item in your cart (you have a ticking fifteen minute clock before it is removed), don't worry- they store your credit card information, so you don't even have to get out of bed to go check the CV2 code.
That brings us to Etsy, the online marketplace that boasts "re-imagined commerce" built in ways that "build a more fulfilling and lasting world.
" This website allows sellers to set up their own "shop" featuring either vintage or handmade products.
As a company that values fun, craftsmanship, keeping it real, authorship, and rebuilding human-scale economies, this website has emerged as a highly popular way for knitters, shoemakers, painters, illustrators, designers, and many more to get their product and their mission out into the world with little to no financial overhead (in terms of web design/leases, etc.
).
These online boutiques, along with countless others, have made a splash in the e-commerce community because they have evolved in blending elements of the intimate boutique experience with that of the highly digitized world we live in.
They have everything from quick and attentive customer service, to one-click purchasing- again, all without leaving your house.
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