Consumer Attitude toward Online Shopping - Case Study Example

Abstract
Online shopping is a new phenomenon in the world market. The inception of online shopping came about with the rise in e-commerce through globalization. Online shopping is a platform that enables consumers of products and services to make purchases of their referred merchandise through the online platform, makes the secured payment for their products, and then waits for the company to deliver the products to their most preferred premises or location. The spirited growth of online shopping in the modern-day economy is due to the variety of merits that accrue to both the customer and the seller for using this platform. The consumer benefits from both convenience and effectiveness in shopping in the sense that he or she can make purchases from wherever he or she is, pay for the goods or services, and have the products or merchandise delivered to his or her most preferred location or premised. As such, online shopping provides the consumer with the most preferable alternative to shopping because it saves on both time and money, especially from the hustle of having to visit a brick and mortar store to make purchase physically (Aiello & Sachs 2010)

On the other hand, producers manufacture, and retailers of goods and services equally benefit a great deal from online purchases. An online sale enables these retailers to sharpen their competitive edge by expanding their market sphere of operations. For instance, a fashion company operating in Italy such as Gucci can make sales to consumers in the farthest corners of Africa barely through online shopping. However, before a company can enjoy making sales through the online platform, the company has to undertake a number of procedures to ensure swift marketing and delivery of its products to its client’s premises, as well as the security and privacy of online payments made by its customers.

Consumer Attitude toward Online Shopping
The fashion industry is among the fastest takers of new developments in e-commerce such as online shopping. This is because this platform enables them to reach out to a wide pool of customers across the world without necessarily having to set up local stores at their domestic markets. As such, one major player in the luxury fashion brand making good use of the online shopping platform is the LV Gucci brand.

This Italian fashion brand giant is a subsidiary of the Gucci Group owned by a French company known as Kering, formerly PPR. Gucci stands out as the biggest-selling Italian brand across the world with over 278 stores directly operating worldwide (Blokdijk, 2008)

The Gucci Group is among the leading multi-brand luxury goods companies in the world operating under several brands that have a reputable following such as Gucci, Sergio Rossi, Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci Group Watches, Boucheron, Stella McCartney Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, and Alexander McQueen. The Gucci Group designs produce, as well as distributes high-quality personal luxury goods such as handbags, ready-to-wear, small leather goods, luggage, timepieces, shoes, ties and scarves, jewelry, fragrances, and eyewear. The Group operates a number of its stores directly across major markets throughout the world, as well as wholesales its products through franchise stores, leading departmental and specialty stores, and other duty-free boutiques.

Gucci embodies a number of key characteristics that enable it to produce exquisitely crafted luxury goods with a modern sensibility that is extremely thorough.