Whether it was spritzing on perfumes in a department store or fantasizing about a more organized home in the seemingly endless aisles of Bed Bath & Beyond, shopping was once a far more pleasurable experience than it is today. It was both a social and languid activity, an opportunity to connect with a friend or explore our materialistic desires in contented solitude. Retail therapy, we called it.
Click here to read the story at vox.com.
Discussion Questions:
- What is consumer behavior?
- Why is it important for businesses and brands to understand consumer behavior?
- What is the customer experience?
- Why is the customer experience important to retailers?
- Have you ever heard (or used) the phrase “going shopping”?
- Have you ever heard (or used) the phrase “retail therapy”?
- The headline of this news story suggests “going shopping” is dead. What does that mean?
- Why is “going shopping” dead, according to this news story?
- How might this news story illustrate the concept of consumer behavior?
- What is retail?
- What is e-commerce?
- How has e-commerce impacted the retail experience?
- Do you think “going shopping” will ever come back to what it once was? Why or why not?