Searching for prime holiday sales has become an activity that most spirit-filled shoppers have mastered, thanks to corporate deals and online exclusives comprising much of the competition local stores face.
Consumers plan to do 30.2 percent of their shopping online, according to a National Retail Federation survey from 2007.
Internet sales increased from $7.2 billion in 2002 to $256 billion in 2011, according to statsita.com. The majority of the sales were generated by corporate retail websites, including Amazon.com, which was the most popular site for online buyers.
However, the threat of competition has yet to scare off some local stores, including Athens Book Center, which advertises local shopping in its store window.
“It is a challenge; it has really changed our approach in the last few years,” said Kate Christman, the store’s manager. “We find rather than trying to compete with the big corporations, we try to do things they can’t do. “
Christman said the store’s special offerings include a wide variety of unique gifts and books, both old and new.
“We can’t really compete with the new bestsellers, but we do have a few customers that come to buy books they could get at Kroger or Amazon,” she said.
However, the website that seems to serve as the retail watering hole for online shopping is Amazon.
The company generated more than $48 billion in 2011, tripling its revenue since 2007, according to statsita.com.
Pia Arthur, a spokesperson for Amazon, said the company is able to stay competitive because of the many deals the website offers to students, including the free membership, trade-in and textbook rental programs.
“Amazon student members get exclusive discounts on a variety of products and categories,” Arthur said.
Katie Hartman, an associate professor of marketing at Ohio University, said that the infatuation with online shopping could be a result of a number of factors.
“From a culture and technology perspective, advances in technology have increased download speeds and provided better functionality on websites, which have made the online shopping experience easier and more enjoyable for the typical consumer,” she said, adding that it could also be attributed to a perceived decrease in security risks.
Lindsay Citraro, a junior studying creative writing and graphic design, shares a similar belief, saying she continues to shop online because of the convenience.
“Shopping online is more convenient for me since I am in Athens and I want to beat the shopping rush in the malls in my hometown,” Citraro said. “I can easily finish my shopping in under an hour.”
In spite of corporate companies’ ability to reach a wider audience, students such as Katie Kostival, a freshman studying education, would rather shop locally.
“Online shopping is only good when you know exactly what you want to get,” she said. “Shopping in stores is beneficial when you aren’t sure; you’re able to window shop.”
Regardless of the challenge or preference, Christman said she understands the value of community and homegrown shops.
“The people in Athens love their local operations, and they don’t want their own to be reduced to giant box stores,” she said. “Any community business is a real asset to the community, and it would be a real shame if locally owned businesses were to disappear.”
lf328610@ohiou.edu
