How online shopping can be more fun than offline shopping

Almost weekly, the news is filled with reports about bankruptcies ''in the high street'', bizarre stock valuations of e-commerce start-ups and ''visionaries'' about what the high street should look like. Where my small village used to be a nice place to go for a little shopping, it now seems almost deserted. The retail world is turned upside down.

From my work as owner of Social Brothers, but certainly also from my work as an online advisor, I see these changes almost daily. Sometimes with an entrepreneur who is struggling with his or her online business model (why should I start a webshop?), sometimes with a manager who receives the target 'views' or 'likes' (how do I make the added value measurable) and sometimes with an employee who wonders what his or her added value will be in this changing playing field (what will marketing look like in the future?).

As Social Brothers, we often have an answer to this and we help people in the right direction, but sometimes we don't know it either. What we always know for sure is that it often, at first sight, starts with small things. Not by drawing up a completely new marketing plan, hiring a new marketing manager or by building a completely new website or webshop.

A nice example of this is Coolblue with the slogan “everything for a smile”, but that example is also a bit saturated and in the meantime not so 'small' anymore. What I think is a good example is No Label, for example, where I am a customer myself. This webshop is completely aimed at men who generally see clothing as something functional (recognizable). No Label sells the highest quality basics at a fair price. Of course that is easier said than done, but how do you get those products and how do you keep them affordable? A discussion that, I think, is recognizable for every entrepreneur and can be seen as the basis of entrepreneurship.

And what about quality versus price? Is the product of your choice worth the amount? By means of an extensive transparent cost calculation and a clear corporate story, they create a lot of credibility for me.

What is more important to me personally when consuming online is that I don't have to queue, all sizes are available and no pushy sales people come to me. In addition, I want to shop when it suits me; shops are open until 6am, but who has time before 6am? Add to that the generally positive reviews and I see more independent advice than the 'looks good!' from the seller. Secretly 2 small parts, which are technically known as ''you can do it yourself'', but which directly lead to a lot of credibility.

I can hear you thinking: but shopping is also fun, right? Well, opinions differ of course. But the coolest experience at No Label was receiving the box. Not a funny box like our blue friends, but a neat box, including a personal message. Which is directly in line with my feeling and experience, as if you are buying from friends instead of a large business company. The products were shipped neatly stacked – just try to get that done on a Saturday in the city – with a (slightly vague) quote about the fact that giving gifts to yourself is a party. Something so small again, a cool box with a personal message, products that have just been piled up, which immediately reinforces the feeling of quality.

Of course, the mail I received after my order was a bit business-like, and the social media ads afterwards a bit impersonal. But I am a happy customer, the experience was nice and I like the product.

Let's not only do the big things in 2020, but keep in touch with our target group and make them happy with the small things!