Hannah Cersell

The only time I head to the mall is to stop by Lenscrafters for new frames. Malls tend to be too big and gives me the anxiety to walk in by myself. If I happen to run into someone I know, I prefer to keep conversations short so that I can shop in peace. I like independent storefronts separate from mall locations because of safety reasons. My cousin mentioned that Amazon recently acquired space in King of Prussia mall to replace troubled department stores, so I’d be curious to see what that turns into soon. I think it’d be cool to have a grocery section inside the mall or drive-in theatre close so that people could optimize the mall space/parking lots. People would then feel like they could shop, eat, or entertain themselves in one place that’s uncommon anywhere else. Yes, there are movie theatres in malls already, but they tend to be high priced, and sometimes parking is too far, or you walk through a different section of the mall to get to it.

Hannah,

I completely agree and actually touched on the topic of the apparel industry and fragmentation in my post as well. I am glad you presented the topic with implications pre-covid as well as considering how covid will effect the industry. The apparel industry has gone through tremendous change in regards to e-commerce and technology already, and considering the impact of covid with further change to come is remarkable.

I think in some aspects we can see the possibility of retail stores and malls completely disappearing but I recently discovered an article about Casetify brick and mortar stores and how they are reimagining the use of a retail space to surround more around customer experience in content creation. I think this is an outlook that could find its way into a wider variety of industry, and might just save these physical stores.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tiffanylung/2020/10/13/how-casetify-is-reinventing-the-retail-experience-ahead-of-the-new-iphone-launch/#36c764f012d4

This is an interesting post Hannah! I do agree with you about how sad retail shopping is failing and being replaced by online shopping. In the future, malls might not even exist and future generations won’t know that feeling of going to a clothing store with friends or family. The proposals you made also were intriguing, about how companies should have a better UI and participate on holiday sales. At the end, I do think smaller retail and clothing companies will eventually go bankrupt, if not already, due to COVID and the rise of big retail chains such as Amazon. I also do think that once COVID is over, the retail market might boom, because people are sick and tired of staying home, and would like to be around people and go buy things.

I am just like you Hannah! I usually want to try on the clothes in person at the store. I usually grab like 10 different things and then go to the dressing room and try everything on to show my friends/mom (whoever I am shopping with). Out of those I usually end up picking like one to three items to actually buy. Shopping online for clothes specifically is hard because you have to guess sizes sometimes. If it doesn’t fit, then you have to deal with returns which is a hassle. I also like to buy my technological devices in person as well like my iPhone, laptop, television, etc. There are definitely so many things I buy online so easily, but there are certain items that just need an in person decision. For example, last week I wanted to buy a new Macbook because I’ve had the same one since I was 16. I wanted to just order it, but my dad told me we should go to the store to check it out because of the new keyboards. Once we went, I saw that I didn’t like the new Butterfly keyboard at all. Now I know I am going to wait until the Scissor keyboard comes back on the new models. I would have never known this if I didn’t go into the store.

Covid-19 is also forcing stores to close because of rules and restrictions based on states/towns that have high spikes in cases. The almost “third wave” is now approaching the U.S. and stores are going to be forced to close again. These stores are going to have to improve their online efforts, but I believe after the pandemic many retailers will still need physical stores.

As I read through this article a thought came to mind. How much are businesses losing from impulse buying from online sales? When I shop online I am usually looking for one particular item. However, when I shop in the store I always end up with more than I went in for, the $1 DVD bin gets me every time. To aid this they could offer discounts only good in the store. It would have to be a big discount because I am sure most people would just go to another site. But if it was enough to bring them in, it could lead to a sale that would never have happened online. This offer would happen as the person is looking at the item. So it is targeted promotions that show up when the customer is expecting it, not in the middle of their cat video.

Also, I like how you bring the mall into this conversation. There is a lot of talk about what individual businesses are doing to bring in companies. But what are malls doing to bring in customers? What kind of experience are they offering me that makes me want to shop there? For decades malls did not have to innovate because they just had to build it and they came. Now malls have to do things to bring people in.

I still enjoy the thrill of the hunt, and being able to see and fell the item I’m buying. Until technology finds a way to allow you to somehow feel the texture of a fabric remotely, or to see how the color looks ON YOU, it’s just not a great experience. I recently bought a few items from Eddie Bauer online, and when they weren’t quite what I wanted, I brought them back to a store – fortunately there is one near me, having to ship returns is a nightmare.
And when it comes to holiday gift shopping, I find it almost impossible to do that online. I prefer to go to vendor markets – I love to be able to talk to the person who actually made the thing I am buying, and to be able to share that with the person I’m giving the item to. Those folks used to rely on cash as payment, but most of them can now take cashless payments, which has been great for that community.
In both those scenarios, for me, it’s about going to a place where there are many options, yet a fixed set. One of the difficulties for me is the seemingly endless amount of possibilities online. Shopping online also has no time boundaries — it’s available all the time, not just when the store is open and I have time to go there. I find that overwhelming!
I appreciate having selections curated by someone whose profession or passion is finding great things. I suppose there are sites like that, too, or influencers to follow — but not the same.

Hannah, I really enjoyed the read! Just back from King of Prussia today. I think as a previous retail manager at Macys, I think retail industry is definitely fragmented and a lot of retail stores are gonna consolidate to flagship or big door locations. However, brick and mortar stores definitely still have a space in the consumer shopping experience. Omnni-retailing is what I think is keeping big retailers like Macys and Nordstrom in the game. They crush it at having us buy online, pick up in store and do free returns in store. Boomers and I love going in and touching real products and retailers are getting smart and offering exclusive in-store discounts that you might not be able to get online. However, as I think about it, I feel like Fashion retailers are going to consolidate into large companies like Macys and Nordstrom. I think the industry dynamics will shift and smaller brands will need to work with these larger companies to sell their products.

I am a big time online shopper! The convenience of browsing through options without the headache of messy racks and long lines does it for me. That said, I completely understand the frustration of not being able to try on for size when shopping online for clothes. I personally believe it’s one of the last benefit sof retail stores. I recently came across a site that had model for almost every height and weight group. If all store had that option it would be game over for malls…Unless they get more creative with the in-store experience. That means more incentives for shopping in person, whether its better deals, fun activations, door prizes, guest appearances etc. The American Dream Mall (https://www.americandream.com/) did a just that when they opened a mall that also served as a year-round ice skating rink, amusement park and indoor ski-resort last year. If other malls follow suit by adding attractions they may be able to survive, until then, I believe that online shopping will reign supreme.