Leisure Time Activity

Online Shopping – Topshop
Website: http://www.topshop.com/

The Topshop website allows customers to browns images of clothes on sale in the shops as well as having the facility to buy clothes online. This is replacing the need to visit the shops as products can be returned if they are the wrong size as well as often having a wider range of products offered in one store. This convenience is being exploited by many online shopping sites because they are now able to receive custom 24/7 anywhere around the world. However shopping online does have some drawbacks, the cost may be higher due to delivery costs as well as many shops not offering all of their instore deals on products.

Topshop’s website isn’t just about clothing though, there is the facility for users to subscribe to a podcasting service, an example of convergence between Apple and Arcadia benefiting both institutions and audiences who are able to exploit this to keep them up to date with fashion. Alongside this there is increased interactivity through the option of downloading a “Daily Fix Widget” to deliver “fashion ideas straight to your desktop”. This free service is an attractive prospect for the buyers who may save time by using this service. As well as this interactivity, there is the option to sign up to Style Notes, a weekly newsletter sent out to those who subscribe and there is the option of an RSS feed that allows immediate access to fashion news, keeping audiences up to date.

This development in shopping is frequently used by young people, which fits with Topshop’s main demographic of young people who follow fashion because it can be fitted around their life as they want in a time-shift not seen until quite recently. This also allows an element of portability as the web page can be accessed through any device with an Internet connection (e.g. Blackberry or iPhone) allowing portability through the convergence of technologies. This change in lifestyle has led to shops having to become more competitive to keep custom as it is far easier to access stores online than to travel to the shops. One way in which shops attempt to increase spending is through online surveillance, Topshop’s “other items you might like…” facility, to generate interest in other items that the shopper my buy, again adding a personal touch to their experience (almost like an online personal shopper).

Another import aspect of the personalisation is the “Shopping Bag” and the ability to create your own account so that your buying habits can be tracked and you are able to save items that you would like to buy rather than having to remember individual items, providing an individual experience for everyone. The easy navigation of the website is appealing to the audience as it allows fast and easy access. This is supported by the search box application which allows you to search by product name or code.