Can We Make Video Shopping a Thing?

I for one prefer to shop online – I know, shocker.  We all know the standard reasons customers like shopping online – convenience, assortment, etc.  Same here but, I also like that I can shop unencumbered by other shoppers perusing the same exact items I am trying to – you know that dance that you do moving the hangers in their direction and they move them back towards you and neither one of you is getting a good look at anything until one of you gives up; or when a sales person has to put something back on the rack right where you are trying to shop because, waiting the three seconds for you to move on would be inefficient.  I also like being able to shop at my own personal goldilocks not too hot/not too cold temperature vs. the tundra setting many of the big box stores tend to keep the thermostat on.  I also like not waiting in line for the fitting room and/or the register.  However, I do miss having someone just a slight upward glance away waiting to answer any question I have about what I am shopping for. 

With the current state of social distancing and non-essential businesses being closed for fear of contributing to the community spread – yet possibly putting themselves out of business in the process, I feel like the time is ripe for some new shopping methods.  I am casting my vote for video shopping! 

Imagine how much faster the Instacart shopping would go if it was via video and we could actually see the empty shelf and not ask about 7 different alternate replacement items in descending order of desirability…one at a time…for half the items on the grocery list.  Imagine having the full undivided attention of a sales person in your favorite clothing/shoe/home goods store making selections and recommendations for you to yay or nay in real time.  It might cut down on all that time we spend trying to master the latest enhancement to the filtering or search functions on every website.  I don’t know about you but, I could use the 20 minutes back that I spent typing in every possible keyword for “potato buns” and scrolling through pages of unsuccessful results in addition to trying to navigate my way to the elusive “buns” only have the exact ones I wanted pop up as an alternate recommendation and ONLY an alternate recommendation.  Y’all, I even typed in the exact product name afterwards to see if I somehow missed it – no dice - those buns are not merchandised on the category page nor in search but, they DO exist in the inner crevices of the Instacart CMS.

Imagine what a skilled knower of the stores’ inventory could accomplish!  I often struggle with trust issues where search results and onsite filters are concerned – leading me to endlessly scroll the day away.  I’d take that time back in a heartbeat.

I dream of a day where video shopping is the norm and I can consult an expert who is vested in my purchase success …from the comfort and safety of my own home.  I dream of a day where my virtual ‘shoppers’ and I know each other on a first name basis and my style preferences are influencing future assortments in the stores I frequent.  I dream of a day where my virtual ‘shoppers’ have the tech in the palm of their hands to show me how what we are shopping would fit my actual body dimensions.  I dream of a day where my ‘virtshoppers’ (trying something out here…) know me and my style so well that they send pics of me wearing my future purchase as next level personalization marketing in hyper drive.  Ok, maybe not for unmentionables but, you get the idea!  I dream of a day where making a decision about a new home goods item is as cool as seeing it placed in my home via a holographic projection sent from my ‘virtshopper’.  I dream of a day where my favorite recording artists do their own video sales pitch and tell me what the new music means to them and where their inspiration came from to help me make my purchasing decision instead of trying to dazzle me with album cover art.  I’m looking at you Trent Reznor and yes, I will imagine you are speaking to me and only me (a girl can dream).  I dream of a day I can help my Instacart ‘virtshopper’ save us both a lot of time ;)

Currently available for ‘virtshopping’ concept brainstorms – let’s get this off the ground!