Window shopping has been a leisure shopper’s thing since the 1890s. But did you know that this shopping activity can actually be beneficial for both shops and buyers? It is totally fun and useful.
How?
After doing quite a deep digging, I have understood how window shopping can be something more interesting than just a leisure exploration of new products and trends. So, we invite you to join this journey and learn the historical evaluation of this term. Find 5 pro tips to get further benefit as a shopper and as a shop owner.
Let’s get more ways to make it a rewarding shopping experience!
Table of Contents
What Is Window Shopping?
Shopping lovers are usually well introduced to the term “window shopping”. But if you are new to the term, here’s an explanation.
Window shopping is an activity of visiting shops by seeing the showcased goods in the windows with no intention of buying. The core mechanism of this shopping activity is to closely examine the store’s products without the purpose of final purchase.
Before finding the goods and bads about this shopping action, let’s take a look at the section below to find an interesting story about it:
The Evaluation of Window Shopping
During the 17th and 18th centuries, in Europe, the number of the middle class rose. Shopping became a pleasurable activity for middle as well as some upper-class women, as they could enter the public sphere without a chaperone.
In the early 18th century, glazed windows began to be widely used. They started opening street-side shops to serve passing customers. As the availability of widespread glass increased, the shop owner began building a full-length glazed window to display new merchandise.
Over the decades, this luxury product display transformed into a thematic display based on seasons and holidays. People took this as a social activity and gathered with friends and family to visit stores based on the product displayed in the shop window, and just to gather information about trends, materials, price, etc.
But is window shopping only a physical activity? Most of us prefer virtual shopping today, right?
As technology emerged, online stores took full advantage of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) to create an immersive shopping experience.
Is Window Shopping a Good Idea?
Though the idea of window shopping sounds only favourable for customers, it can benefit both the shop owners and customers. Here’s how:
For Buyers
- Learn About Products: This allows the buyers to learn about the trend and different product features they might be interested in.
- Price Comparison: Shoppers can visit different stores and compare prices across brands without feeling pressured to immediately buy.
- Avoid Impulse Buying: Taking time to visit stores or browsing online helps avoid impulse buying and controls regretful spending.
- Stress Relief: For active shoppers, window shopping is a relaxing and enjoyable activity that acts as a sense of distraction and stress relief.
For Sellers
- Brand Exposure: Glazing window displays are an effective way for brand exposure and attract the passing-by customers.
- Marketing Opportunities: It is a great marketing opportunity for shop owners to increase foot traffic, build brand image, and promote sales and discounts.
- Visual Merchandise: Since the 18th century, window displays have acted as a form of visual merchandising to promote new product launches.
- Gather Crowd: Well-designed window display can convince the passerby to visit the shop. The more crowded your physical shop looks, the better brand image you can maintain.
Retailer Impact from This Social Activity
Window shopping is not just a passive activity, but has a significant effect on the retailers. There are both positive and negative sides to the window displays for retail shop owners:
🟢 Positive Impact
➜ Attractive window displays encourage customers to visit the store and make impulse purchases.
➜ Featuring key collections or products draws attention to new arrivals or promotional merchandise.
➜ Well-organized or thematic displays contribute to positive brand image and enhance overall window shopping experience, ensuring revisit with positive purchase intention.
🔴 Negative Impact
➜ The practice of window display can divert buyers’ attention to other brands.
➜ Unattractive displays can impact the merchandise’s visual appeal and deter shoppers from entering your store.
5 Tips You Must Keep in Mind
➤ While window shopping, limit your spending by thoughtful budgeting for potential purchases. It will help you make more conscious shopping choices.
➤ Though many will say that comparison shopping is a helpful process, consistent comparison can lead to analysis paralysis. Comparing the prices and features too much can get you caught up in the details and make it harder to decide.
➤ Salespeople in the store use persuasive tactics to encourage immediate purchase. Don’t rush to purchase just because the product is on sale. Remember, you are on a window shopping.
➤ You must understand your motivations while visiting shops based on the window display. If you really need it, want it, or it is driven by social pressure or advertisements.
➤ Use this as a future purchase inspiration and gather as much information as possible to discover new styles and trends.
Transform the Window Shopper’s Interest into Brand Loyalty!
While window shoppers look for every possible way to take complete advantage of the window shopping, it is also a chance to establish a true connection with interested customers.
Be patient. Don’t just rush with the convincing, as the customers may feel pressured and leave soon. Even the real transformation happens a long time after they leave your store. The relation-building activities keep them on your side.
Most of the time, the customers visit the official website and engage with the sales team there. They may make a single purchase on their first try, and if your product can make a promotional impression, they will surely make a repurchase. However, true loyalty is not possible without multiple interactions.
So, this is how you can transform the window shoppers into brand loyalty!
Key Takeaways
Window shopping holds quite a lot of cultural and historical context of Victorian England. Though it was a common practice among middle and upper-class women, now people from every class and social status have adopted this as a leisure activity.
Though most of the time it is considered favourable for shoppers to get an idea about market trends, product prices, and compare different brands, retailers have also started to take full advantage of this customer behaviour. Whether it is the allure of the beautifully organized window displays or the convenience of virtual browsing of online stores, window shopping remains a manifested part of modern life.
FAQs
What is window shopping meaning in the digitalized world?
In this digitalized world, window shopping means browsing through different online stores without the immediate intention of buying anything. This practice also involves an equivalent exploration of merchandise, as visiting physical stores.
What are the advantages of window shopping?
The advantages of window shopping for shops include increased foot traffic, brand desire, and brand awareness among interested customers.
Are there any potential drawbacks for window shoppers?
Yes, there is. Window shoppers often face drawbacks like hard-to-determine product interest (analysis paralysis) and missed sales opportunities.
How can shop owners strategically turn window shoppers into potential buyers?
By designing an attractive window display, creating a welcoming atmosphere, highlighting seasonal or trending items, tech-based engagement (QR Codes), and spotlighting sales, offers, and displays, you can easily transform window shoppers into potential buyers.
