If you’re like me, you shop both online and at physical stores. Although shopping online can be convenient, it’s hard to replace the social atmosphere of an actual brick and mortar store.
With this being said, I don’t think online shopping will ever dominate offline shopping. I do believe it will increase, however, as online shopping becomes more and more social and users become more savvy.
Two great examples of social shopping sites are Kaboodle and NetShops. Kaboodle is the ultimate social shopping site. Users can create profiles pages, recommend items, comment on products and associate themselves with their favorite brands.
Netshops is a leader in the home shopping realm. Their social features include user ratings and reviews, answers to frequently asked questions about each individual product, feedback forms, video buying guides and a Twitter page that offers updates and discounts.
Social shopping is becoming easier and more involved, but it can’t replicate the environment of a physical store. But a physical store is a very social place, which is why adding reviews and other social media to your site is critical in today’s market.
