PLJ9.
When it comes to the Internet, the possibilities are endless; yet there is still that little voice that says, "Is this really trustworthy?" In my eyes, shopping online is a great characteristic of the Internet, but scares me the most in terms of getting scammed. We've all heard those horror stories of people buying or selling things on eBay and getting jipped out of the deal somehow. But its not just eBay, sometimes I get worried about my personal information just getting lost somewhere in world wide web only for it to fall in the wrong hands. I have in fact vetted with friends online about certain sites just to verify the reliability and security of certain sites. In marketing Word of Mouth is one of the most important attributes that a company can hope to manipulate. Family and friends are usually the most trusted people in one's life, so if my best friend recommends I should try a certain website, I'll be more likely to shop there. I did this for a website that sells designer clothes at really discounted prices. I wasn't sure that the low prices would mean the quality was sacrificed. After checking with my friends and talking about their experiences, I decided to purchase something from the site and it turned out that my friends were right! I had a great experience and will trust my friends online experiences in future transactions.
I also like to use the Internet to check for sales and look at merchandise that isn't available at my local stores. Sometimes I find the most perfect outfit, but of course they don't carry my size. Many times my solution is to go to the brand's website. They usually have all sizes and are able to ship it to you immediately. But shipping is also a downside to online shopping. Paying extra never makes that buyers remorse feel better.
Facebook also has affected my online purchases. I have friends that are brand representatives for company's like Victoria's Secret, Nike, even Johnson & Johnson that promote sales or events that drive my interest to the product. Victoria's Secret's Pink college line was heavily promoted online and by my friends (brand reps), and have gotten me to purchase University of Florida VS apparel. So I think their strategy to get college kids to promote their line was a genius idea because it's hard to say no to your friends, you always want to help them out. So do I really need that VS Gator hoodie? No. But after seeing Facebook messages and little coupons you better believe I need that VS Gator hoodie. Social media is something that is always being used especially by our generation. The company's that know how to utilize that niche are the ones that are going to see that spike in sales no matter how low economy dips. Social media's influence is easily that powerful.