Let's Get Physical - ZoZa.com combines stores and Web presence - Company Business and Marketing

Industry Standard, The, Dec, 2000 by Blair Clarkson

Underhill has found that the more time people spend in a store, the more they buy. It's tough to make shoppers linger at a Web site, he points out - they're far more likely to grab and go. Then there's the "Ooh! That looks so cute on you!" factor. Utterly lost online.

"The experience of brick-and-mortar shopping is unique, and I don't think it will ever be replaced with online shopping," Underhill says. "Especially in our tactile-deprived society - and especially after sitting at a computer all day - the physical sensations of shopping are a welcome change."

Genevieve Bell, a cultural anthropologist who has studied online and offline shopping for Intel, agrees that online shopping lacks the fantasy aspect that stores offer. "A huge element when you're shopping is play-acting, playing dress-up and imagining you're someone else," she says. "In America, shopping is a way to feel good about yourself. That isn't what happens with e-commerce."

By getting in touch with shoppers, Web retailers might start feeling a little better about themselves, too. Especially when the revenue numbers arrive.

Blair Clarkson is a staff writer for Grok.

SCAMPERING BACK TO DRY LAND
E-tailers are returning to earth. Having tried - and failed - to
attract sufficient customers through such high concept campaigns as
sock puppets blimps and Frisbee giveaways they're realizing that maybe
the best way to get in touch with shoppers is to give them something to
touch like a catalog a kiosk or even - surprise - a corner store
COMPANY       PRODUCTS
Bluemercury   cosmetics
Gazoontite    allergy and asthma remedies
              (site now closed)
eZiba.com     handmade gifts and home
              furnishings
Lucy.com      workout gear for women
Allpets.com   pet supplies
Garden.com    plants and gardening supplies
Tavolo        gourmet ingredients and
              cookware
Micron        computer hardware
Art.com       prints and original artworks
Liquid Audio  digital music
COMPANY       OFFLINE
Bluemercury   Stores in Philadelphia and
              Washington. D.C.
Gazoontite    Stores in San Francisco and Costa
              Mesa, Calif.; New York City and
              Long Island. N. Y.; and Chicago
eZiba.com     Free 36-page catalog mailed for the
              holidays
Lucy.com      Free 40-page catalog
Allpets.com   92-page $2 catalog mailed four
              times a year
Garden.com    Free 52-page catalog mailed
              quarterly; Garden Escape magazine
Tavolo        Catalog
Micron        Kiosks in more than 350 Best Buy
              retailers in North America
Art.com       Catalog; kiosks in North American
              shopping malls
Liquid Audio  Liquid Kiosk Network in retail
              outlets around the world