Shopping is an exercise of the body, the mind, the spirit… and of your bank account. One of the things we enjoy most about Lakeland shopping is the activity itself–the process of looking, finding, choosing and deciding. When you shop online, you take away all these elements and dismiss finding that perfect handbag to go with your little black dress as nothing but ministerial.
Although the demand for e-commerce is quite understandable, there is still nothing more satisfying than having an actual feel of the item you’re about to purchase, checking it for any damage, and going home with it.
The gratification with shopping in person is even higher in Lakeland. Shopping locally, meaning when you support locally-owned businesses or small to medium enterprises in your community it increases the chances of finding a unique gift for a loved one or a new boutique that makes handcrafted products from locally-sourced materials.
Most business owners today maintain corresponding websites where consumers can purchase the same items in-store. This strategy, however, only works for branded and well-known items. Studies actually found out that the online experience for well-known products are higher than for locally-made items.
Consumers are more likely to buy products they already purchased before, or whose company they are familiar with. But once the item is unfamiliar to them, the customer is bound to shop for this in person. Although shopping online is convenient, the possibility of returning a product (because of damage or dissatisfaction) far outweighs the need to stay home and surf in your pajamas.
Another thing that pushes a customer to buy in person rather than shop online is the thought of going home with the item. When you order something online, you have to wait a day or even a week to receive that product in the mail. The satisfaction of finding something you like and immediately using it wears off as the days progress.
There’s also the hands-on customer service experience that we are after. When we shop in person, we can ask a sales staff to explain or show how a product is used. If the product isn’t available, we can inquire if there is a delivery expected within that same week. In flea markets, customers can even negotiate the price of an item, something that online shopping doesn’t usually allow.
Shopping local
There’s a big difference between shopping locally and shopping local. Shopping locally means buying in stores found in your neighborhood, Hobby Town USA, Munchel’s Fine Jewelry, Fun Bike Center, Lake Miriam Pawn and many other found here on iCitySpy. Buying local means supporting locally-owned businesses.
Although a lot of people still choose to shop locally, they miss the point completely if they don’t even attempt to buy local products. Revenue from local Lakeland stores go to employees’ salaries and local taxes, and they employ local residents (which is always a good thing), but with large National Chains a huge portion of their income goes somewhere else.
This is opposed to shopping local, where nearly 45 percent of the revenue stay in the community. When a local shopping store profits, their revenue goes to employee compensation, inventory and most importantly, paying for supplies and services they also acquire from the community.
Buying local has a direct impact to the community. It puts into place a chain reaction that supports small livelihoods, programs and projects that locals can benefit from.
Shopping online may have a host of advantages especially for busy people, but so does buying locally and shopping local. Not only are you supporting the local community, but you’ll also be able to enjoy Lakeland shopping in a way you never truly can when you do everything online.
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