THE BUYING VS. SHOPPING THEORY CONSIDERS SHOPPING AS AN AMBIENT ACTIVITY, WHILE BUYING IS A STRAIGHT-FORWARD, TRANSACTIONAL ACTIVITY FOR CONSUMERS.

Within the last decade alone, the retail industry has evolved tremendously. As opposed to still being viewed as destinations for repetitious and habitual purchases, many retailers have created multiple channels for shopping and opted for creating experiences instead of securing a sale.

But in this new decade, retailers expect emerging technologies to provide them with a greater understanding of the wants and needs of consumers. The Retail Doctor Group® has stated that within this new era of retail, we will see an increase in prediction data and analytics, automatic inventory reordering and an intensification in convenience fulfilment.

While the evolution of technology will permeate the purchasing decisions of consumers, it is equally important that retailers are aware of how consumers buy and shop.