Ch. 13: BugStores.com

The concept of a retail store has grown over the past decade because of the ever expanding internet. Before internet retailers or e-tailers, retailing was mostly limited to physical stores. Non-physical retailers for consumer purchasing did exist however and included catalog and mail order, home shopping networks and telemarketing.

As the internet has become more popular traditional retailers are adding online retail stores where their customers often have more access to a range of products that can’t be stocked in the physical store. Many e-tail stores are being erected with no physical location at all. This is giving people more power as consumers, allowing them absolute control of when they shop and the ability to evaluate competitor offerings with the touch of a button.

The expansion into e-tailing has also given marketers more opportunity to reach their target market. The internet is a powerful tool allowing retailers to track their customers browsing behaviors and preferences giving them the upper hand. The information retailers gather about their customers can be used to create a marketing plan that is individualized.

I recently visited an online retail store in search of a groomsman gift for a good friend of mine. I googled “cigar torch lighter” for lighters to give the groomsmen to accompany their traditional groomsmen cigars. The first e-tail store on the list was BugStores.com. I’ve never shopped for a cigar lighter before so I didn’t know quite what I was looking for, besides that it should be a cigar torch lighter by the suggestion of a friend. When I clicked on BugStores.com I was routed to the homepage of the website, where similar to a store front, I could see a sneak preview of what they have to offer. Unlike a physical storefront, though, the homepage offers much more information giving customers full control of their shopping experience. BugStores.com has an attractive layout filled with professional photographs of their products. They also have all of their products categorized and to my surprise they had a category labeled Groomsmen Gifts! Under the Groomsmen Gifts category is a page that displays a generous array of products including cigar cutter lighters, tobacco pipes and cigarette cases. At the top of the page is “product sorting options” that allow you to narrow your search by price, popularity and rating, a clever feature that again empowers the customer and individualizes the shopper experience. The website includes detailed product information including a FAQ page where commonly asked questions can be answered like, “How do I refill my butane lighter?” Customers can comment on products and the loyal customer can even follow them on Twitter. You name it, they’ve thought of it. I ended up tossing a Monarch Z DualTorch into my virtual shopping cart and headed to checkout. The Monarch Z DualTorch can be found here: http://www.bugstores.com/shop/lighters.php?product=BS0M30

I’m like so many busy, busy Americans these days that have to carefully ration their time. Online shopping allows consumers to spend less time on the “in between”, cutting out valuable time that could be spent on more important things. Some could say that browsing through an e-store is in many ways far superior to browsing in a traditional retail store. I wouldn’t go so far to say that I’d take an e-tail store over a tradition retail store any day, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say, most days.