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Cash splashing for online
fashion is, as it escalates in preferability, popularity and profitability,
leaving the formerly attractive High St attire outlets sorrowful, cold and
alone to stand in the winds of change that now blow their silicon valley stink
through the everyday buying habits of fashion hungry, day-walkers
…err…shoppers. Sorry!  Fashion E-tail (as
PC consumerism has been somewhat appropriately christened) has, since 2006,
increased by a massive 40% (like someone buying a full suit instead of just the
trousers but still not falling for the allure of that shirt and tie
combo).  So what you might well ask, why
are you telling us this?

 

People, I came here
today to raise awareness of the poor suffering ‘real’ stores and the plight of
the needy staff who work there, day in day out, and for what?  So everyone can stay home instead and avoid
such helpful, not at all interfering, commission chasing vampires as they do
so. I spoke to ‘Mr. Don Fashanu’ (see what I did there!), a fictional, well
seasoned retailer with a massive chain of stores throughout the UK. He had this
to say about the current trends…

“Although I’m
imaginary and only exist for the purposes of this article, I do hope that my
plea from here on the high street can be at least acknowledged. We all need
shoppers and we need folk to recall the good old times when dragging a
reluctant, disaffected partner around each and every shop before sorely
realising that ‘there’s nothing’ actually stood for something. The way it’s going well, this time next month
I might not even be able to afford that shirt and tie combo I’ve had my eye on
for so long…even with staff discount!”

      

Ahem… thanks for
that!  Another longstanding retailer who
chose to remain anonymous shared their thoughts on the worrying clothing
purchase climate…

“Those other guys,
our competition, don’t know what its like to be the top shop and to have to
deal with the detrimental knock on effects of that there darn tootin’ World
Wide Web thingy.  We’re losing our Buying
Director who has been with us for the best part of a decade, and to who… an
internet fashion jockey that’s been established for less time than our recently
departed BD served under us… that’s who…they’re just a bunch of !!!@$O$!!!”

 

 

 

Clearly, the effects
are taking their toll on the dinosaurs of this brave new world, but just what
does it mean for those on the cutting edge of this wondrous market?  Well, unlike the fashion retail academies of
yesteryear (tick followed tock…) who are processing their students in
preparation (not!) for a world where merchandising, marketing and public
relations are meaningless, the future’s bright…but certainly not garish
darling!    

      

Range and online
exclusivity are other attractive aspects of the WWW appeal too. We all know
what it’s like to save up (remember?) for that special something (or to pay
with the credit card you’ve just thawed out from the safe confines of your
freezer) before getting to a bare fashion cupboard with not even a generic rag
or bone to show for your  cross-town
troubles. Online you can not only have
the unobtainable and the abundantly stocked, you can have them brought to right
to your door, avoiding any ‘end of line’ or ‘sold out’ risks as well as any
road rage orientated ramifications, deadline pressure pushing or mile long
queue fighting expenditure on your behalf.

 

It’s hard to argue
against such compelling evidence and so, regardless of the number of purists
left dazed and bewildered out there in the forgotten physical fashion retail
world, looking still for that personal, one on one service, the forecast must
surely show that for now at least, before any disadvantageous points of size
accuracy, colour confidence, postage costs or fit and feel deter buyers from
their PCs… online is the new undisputed heavyweight champion of the shopping
world!  

 

By Ant Standring

 

Antantacid@aol.com