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Will Santa bring panel building goodies?12 November 2008 In the run up to Christmas, UK retailers are facing a tough challenge in maintaining sales figures that they have experienced during festive seasons gone by. Since the Internet boom led to the now well established online shopping concept – which caters both for the cost-conscious shopper and the plain idle – high street stores have been feeling the pinch. The current economic conditions have received enough column inches in recent times not to warrant any further ‘doom and gloom’ mongering in this week’s commentary – but they, of course, will also have a severe impact on retail sales.
Many high street retailers have finally caved in by recently devising themselves a website – most of which now offer the customer the chance to purchase at least a handful of their products – and it seems as though companies no longer simply rely on their high street presence. Of course, having both a physical and virtual presence has vast advantages, catering for both the ‘whiz kids’ and the ‘old school’ consumers alike. The argument as to which is most beneficial really depends on the individual, but so long as the option is there, the businesses will continue to thrive; and even the die-hard Internet shoppers will still confess that the high street store will not become extinct anytime soon.
With the current financial conditions hitting manufacturing and engineering companies hard, many have adopted the notion of online shopping. Will this work?
Online giants such as Amazon and eBay have proved just how successful and popular the method of online shopping is. Acknowledging this at an early stage and cashing in on this trend, Tesco created a significant online presence that thrives in conjunction with its supermarket success; proving that it is possible for those in the high street to venture out into the world of e-commerce. The aforementioned companies will undoubtedly experience a healthy festive period - despite the economic downturn – and will be licking their lips in the countdown to December 8th, the day when online shopping traffic is due to hit its peak in the run up to Christmas.
Achieving such success in the panel building sector may not be plain sailing, to say the very least. In fact, there are a great deal of problems with the entire concept. Firstly, there has been a reluctantness on the part of many companies to even consider developing an online home, as up until now, they have only experienced customers purchasing in person and by telephone. This has had a consequent effect on its customers likewise, who are now conditioned not to make online purchases in this sector. In order for such companies to recondition their customers and to force them to think outside the box, a large amount of work (and a strong marketing campaign) is essential.
The next problem, assuming that said company overcomes their fears and takes the plunge for a website, is with the content and layout itself. I’m sure many of you will have had the misfortune of visiting what is essentially a ‘landing page’, rather than an actual website. By that, I’m referring to the ill thought-out pages that simply introduce the company, feature a grainy image of its minimalist headquarters, and then conclude matters with the all important telephone number. For Internet shopping to work in this sector, there has got to be more substance. Companies are now starting to offer their product range online, but this still seems to be the exception rather than the norm; and in many cases, the product range available online is restricted when compared to the full range available from the catalogue.
For Internet shopping to truly succeed in the panel building industry, it is necessary for all of the major players to develop their home shopping infrastructure in the very near future. It is now reaching a point whereby those that do not offer this service are being perceived as an outdated, behind-the-times company. Certainly not the ideal perception when being compared to competitors; especially if those competitors do offer this all-important service.
With e-commerce proving so successful in other areas of business, there is no apparent reason why it should not work in the panel building industry likewise. But until many of the high-profile manufacturers begin taking their online service seriously, it will continue in flattering to deceive. Maybe, just maybe, there will come a time when those avoiding the Christmas hordes by shopping online can feel comfortable pointing their cursor in the direction of panel building goods likewise. Contact Details and Archive...Most Viewed Articles... |
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