A shift towards online purchasing has become rampant currently. Most businesses have invested heavily in e-commerce because consumers are exploring and enjoying shopping online.
Self service; most stores check-in kiosks in metro stations and airports, check out hotel services have moved to a self-service type of business. By implementing self-service, businesses save money by hiring fewer employees. Self-service has been implemented by most businesses recently. Other than costing businesses money, customer service is one of the most difficult strategies to implement.
Business sectors have become blurry with a realized gradual extinction of brands. Businesses have shifted focus from a specific product branding to product diversity. Bookshops are selling tea and coffee while supermarkets and departmental stores are giving out loans. Consumers are getting used to acquire more services at one shop or store (Top Trends in Retail, shopping & leisure, 2012).
How the trends influence consumer behavior
For self-service purchasing trends, consumers acquire the feeling of being in charge by serving themselves. They develop a feeling of trust, and this comes along with satisfaction.
Consumers are bored with the constant tradition of finding goods at the same place in supermarkets and some stores all year round. They would rather buy goods at the comfort of their homes via the internet. They have developed satisfaction in saving time rather than waste it by walking the long corridors of supermarkets.
Emerging purchasing trends
As income rises, consumers shift from diets based on grain to high-value dominated food such fruits, dairy products, meat, and vegetables.
There is a gradual reduction of the middle class in most economies of developed countries. This has seen the disappearance of mid-price retailers. There is some noted polarization of cheap versus luxury in the consumer market. The middle class is predicted to be extinct by 2015.
How they may affect consumer behavior
Once consumers get used to eating food that is high-value dominated, they will cease eating junk food, which research has proved to be unhealthy anyway. With the projected increase in income, buying, and cooking food at homes will be a new consumer behavior. Consumers will appreciate eating healthy as opposed to compromising their health.
Consumers are slowly appreciating buying only cheap and expensive goods. For example, it is becoming a common practice to buy a $ 20 T-shirt and a $ 400 wrist watch. Consumers may find comfort and satisfaction in blending cool looking cheap stuff with expensive and classy ones. They may no longer opt to buy middle priced items (Top Trends in Retail, shopping & leisure, 2012).
Reference
Top Trends in Retail, shopping & leisure. (2012). Web.