Times are changing, and so are consumers’ shopping habits.
E-commerce consumer spending in the United States is expected to hit a record $1 trillion in 2022, due in large part to the massive shift towards online shopping during the pandemic. The pandemic not only expedited growth by nearly two years, but it also impacted how and what shoppers are willing to shop for online. Now more than ever, consumers are shopping for high-ticket, luxury goods and items they once would prefer to purchase in-store only.
Do You Shop for Bags Without Seeing Them?
We’ve discussed in depth the preference for buying online or in-store. However, when it comes to shopping for luxury items and handbags, in particular, there are many who, despite a preference for online shopping, need to feel and touch, or at least see, a bag before making a purchase.
Yet, with the rise in popularity of shopping the resale market, coupled with more and more brands being available for purchase online that once weren’t, many times, you may actually end up purchasing a bag before ever having seen it up close or even laying a finger on it.
But would you?
While if you had asked me this question 10 years ago, I would have said absolutely no way. The reality is, I’ve purchased many bags without ever having seen them in person, both pre and post-pandemic and both new and pre-loved. I guess part of it comes down to how I shop. I’m a fashion first and function later person, which makes a huge difference. When your priority is the look of a bag over how it works and wears, it makes buying a bag without actually seeing it in person a lot more realistic. But for the rest of shoppers, the line is a bit blurrier, leaving brands with a certain responsibility to make shopping online easier.
Do you buy bags online before ever having seen them in person? How do you think brands and online shopping websites can make ordering bags online more seamless for the consumer?
