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Shops must go online to find new customers
IT'S the first week of December and 'tis the season to be jolly'.
So push down any feelings of anxiety about your savings, the economy and future prosperity, and do what's expected of you at this time of year. Go shopping.
Retailers have already slashed prices and even our friend, the UK Chancellor, has thoughtfully arranged to have VAT reduced so you can spend without guilt.
But by all accounts in the media, there aren't really a lot of crowds to contend with. Yet.
But now that December is here everyone is hopeful that shoppers will finally come out.
If you're like me you'd rather not shop at all. Bah! Humbug. But, I'm not unique.
The general pessimistic mood and the state of the economy is definitely influencing consumer shopping habits this Christmas.
A study just completed by Pricegrabber.com, part of the Experian group, shows that 61 per cent of people expect to make a concerted effort to cut back this holiday season.
Still, 97 per cent of survey respondents expect to do some shopping online.
Fifty-five per cent intend to purchase more than half of their holiday gifts online this year, a 10 per cent increase from last year.
Thirty-seven per cent say that online shopping appeals to them because it's easier to compare products and find the lowest price. Twenty-four per cent prefer the convenience of shopping any time and anywhere.
In addition, shoppers are trying to be disciplined this year to keep gift giving costs down.
Fifty-three per cent revealed that they plan to stick to a budget to control impulse buying, and 43 per cent intend to shop at discount or factory outlets.
Thirty-seven per cent expect to 'use comparison shopping websites', and 35 per cent anticipate that they will only purchase items on sale.
And gift giving is only the half of it. Thirty-eight per cent of survey respondents are also planning to scale back in other areas.
When it comes to saving money on food, 44 per cent of survey respondents plan to eat out less, 17 per cent intend to use coupons for groceries/restaurants and 14 per cent expect to make grocery lists to control impulse buying.
The cost of petrol and travel remain a concern over Christmastime.
Thirty-two per cent of survey respondents plan to travel less this year, almost a third intend to consolidate visits into one journey, and 21 per cent expect to use their own cars less to get to work or to the shops and will opt for public transport instead.
So the message to retailers is clear. The online channel is more important than any previous holiday season and those who aren't in ebusiness, could struggle to survive. The good new is, even if you aren't online now, it's possible for you to leverage this crucial channel, almost immediately.
It's not necessary to build your own website, you can get your products online in a matter of hours via sites such as Amazon Marketplace or good old eBay.co.uk.
It's not hard to get set up, and it can be a cost effective way to reduce inventories.
In no time at all a retailer can have a professional-looking online shop that will put even a small boutique on a level playing field with some of the largest online retailers.
One Isle of Man entrepreneur, Camille Cutajar, uses eBay to help manage inventories for www.the-joke-shop.com, a small operation specialising in the supply of joke and party items. They deliver across the UK and to the Isle of Man too.
'eBay is easy to set up and use, and it has a lot of eyeballs, so goods move fast. Some shoppers might feel more comfortable shopping on eBay than from a site they don't know as well. It works for us.'
The old saying 'you have to fish where the fish are' holds true this Christmas. With shoppers staying home in droves, it pays to be online. Getting there quickly and for almost no cost is easy.
And if you don't have the time to focus, think about contacting the guys at Manxdropshop.co.uk, in Douglas, who make it happen for you.
>> Sherrilynne Starkie is the managing partner of Strive Public Relations, a strategic communications consultancy serving the Isle of Man. Visit her business blog, Strive Notes for frequent updates www.strivepr.com/notes or follow her on twitter.com/sherrilynne
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Weather for Isle of Man
Tuesday 07 February 2012
Today
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Temperature: 1 C to 7 C
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