Supreme Sofa Shopping

For many years the early adopters of online shopping have ruled supreme. The likes of Amazon and Ocado have had the market sewn up. It is easy to look for things in the shops and then find the same item cheaper from the comfort of your own home and have it delivered without having to move from the sofa. 



Many companies over the years looked longingly at these pioneering and successful enterprises and wanted to get some of the same action. As the years have gone by every retailer has had to consider their online presence. Whether this is through an in house bespoke solution or piggybacking onto another.  The result is that you can now buy nearly every item you could desire online and have it delivered to your residence or place at work or even have it gift wrapped and delivered to your buddy. 

During lockdown with the shops closed this online retail became even more important. At first the supermarkets could not cope with the demand. They prioritised the elderly, vulnerable, key workers and existing customers. As far as I understand Amazon were able to meet the demand switching their working patterns to emulate the pre-Christmas rush. 

The smaller entrepreneurial businesses were quick to adapt to the ‘new normal’ and starting selling online.  A local bar started selling cocktails in line and delivering them to the alcohol starved local community. Farms started selling their produce direct to customers and smaller supermarkets reclaimed the market by providing home delivery in their immediate vicinity. 

As the country has started to unlock larger companies are starting to question the need for physical shops as they have seen the profitable side of the online sales. This will result in the further decay of high streets and the inevitability of job losses. A sad price to pay for the convenience of sofa shopping. 

It is also so easy to buy online. To get carried away. To buy items on a whim that you don’t really need. Thankfully it is also getting easier to return. I have recently taken to buying new clothes online (to take account of my lockdown weight loss) and discovered an app that means you don’t even have to pay for 30 days. Brilliant. It’s like free clothes. 

It’s dangerous. Handing over hard earned cash at the till is much safer. 

Keep the shops I say. Nothing like browsing a good store. 

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