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Breann Makarus

Dr Freymiller

CAS 137H

18 November 2021

The Evolution of Shopping: Keeping Consumer’s Happy

From the first self-service grocery store to the smart-shopping cart, our society has come

a long way in terms of defining what it means to shop. With recent and continuous developments

in technology, the way in which people shop has changed drastically. Although these

developments have helped to aid shoppers in a beneficial manner, there are negative implications

that affect many other members of our society as well. Through the exploration of six main eras,

it is easy to identify how technology has impacted consumerism.

Primarily, the major event that ignited the concept of shopping was the introduction of

department stores in the 1800’s. Prior to this, people only shopped for essentials such as food,

household tools, and appliances (Davis, 2021). The introduction of these department stores

transformed shopping into a social activity rather than a chore. People gathered with friends and

family and went to these stores for enjoyment and pleasure (Davis, 2021). This was a positive

development as people were granted more variety in their shopping, and were not limited to

specialty stores in which they could only purchase very specific items. In the book, Shopping by

Pamela Danziger, she explains that the establishment of department stores led to other

developments such as cash registers (Danziger, 2006). Cash registers were deemed necessary

within department stores as retailers found that it was difficult to store money in an organized

manner, and that money was commonly misplaced due to the high volumes of consumers coming

in and out of the store (Danziger, 2006). The implementation of cash registers helped retailers to
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keep money organized, as well as prevent theft within stores. This was a development that

benefitted employers as well as store owners. Ultimately, the establishment of department stores

sparked the idea of shopping as an activity, and led to the development of other shopping

improvements and technologies.

Furthermore, prior to the 1950’s era of shopping, grocery stores were small, limited, and

typically consisted of only a few food items. Towards the middle of the 1900’s, grocery stores

were transformed into large shops with various aisles and sections, labelled so consumers could

easily access the food items they needed (Danziger, 2006). This development became extremely

convenient for consumers, as they were able to find every item they needed on their shopping list

at one location. This saved them time and proved to be very efficient. Aside from the consumer,

this new development posed financial issues for store owners. Although the establishment of

larger grocery stores drew in customers, many store owners had difficulty paying for the amount

of supply that consumers demanded of them (Danziger, 2006). In addition to this, store owners

were forced to hire more employees, and in turn pay them for their work, adding another expense

(Ross, 2016). Apart from this, consumers were content with the expansion of grocery stores and

were willing to pay more money than they did previously in order to achieve convenience (Ross,

2016). In addition to this, the idea of shopping as a social event expanded further. During the

holidays, it was quite common that families would go to the mall together and shop as a

collective, especially during Christmas (Heichelbech, 2019). Within the malls, store owners often

decorated their shops in order to attract customers (Heichelbech, 2019). Although this served as

an exciting family tradition, it also caused consumers to place their value on material items and

in turn a person’s label came to be based on how many luxury items they owned. This sparked a

toxic cycle as companies began to take advantage of people’s desires and insecurities and
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marketed their products in a sense that if a person did not have a certain item they would not be

valued by society.

Moreover, in the early 2000’s “voice shopping” was introduced. Individuals were able to

shop through their smartphone by utilizing electronic voice assistants such as Siri and Alexa.

This significantly improved consumer convenience as consumers were able to shop at home, on

the road, or anywhere they pleased. This method of shopping was heavily used during the midst

of the COVID-19 pandemic when retailers were attempting to limit in-store shopping. Voice

shopping helped to keep consumers as well as employees safe during the COVID-19 pandemic

and motivated individuals to stay home during this time of uncertainty. Another technological

development that was introduced in the early 2000’s was RFID technology, also known as

radio-frequency-identification (Keenan, 2021). Employers use this in order to track data

associated with products and inventory (Keenan, 2021). This piece of technology has helped

employers and retailers to be quicker and more efficient when tracking items within the store.

This not only benefits employees and retailers but customers, as the service they receive is much

faster than without RFID. Although this development improved the shopping world, it increased

retailers' reliance on technology. During store hours, if this piece of technology malfunctioned, a

retailer may have trouble performing the same tasks. As developments such as RFID technology

continue to increase, our reliance on technology increases as well. This can be problematic as

eventually members of our society may not be able to complete everyday tasks on their own.

Additionally, another technological development that drastically shifted the shopping

world was the creation of mobile payments in 2015 (Lake, 2021). Within retail stores such as

Garage, Aritzia, and Zara, mobile payments were accepted (Lake, 2021). Consumers were able

to use their phones to pay for items, increasing convenience (Lake, 2021). This was beneficial as
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consumers did not have to worry about carrying around a purse or wallet that could potentially

get lost within the mall. The only prevailing issue associated with mobile payments was that it

could be unreliable in that the point of sale terminal within the store did not always accept it

(Lake, 2021). Another common concern was that if a consumer was facing technical issues with

their phone, they may not be able to purchase the item they wish to. Aside from this, many

supported the introduction of mobile payments and utilized the service quite frequently. Apart

from this, in 2015 “smart shelves” were installed within grocery stores and drug stores in order

to keep track of items on sale, items that were out of stock, and items that were missing on the

shelf. These shelves were designed to assist in ensuring that employees and retailers would be

informed of the status of the items and know whether or not changes needed to be made. The

development of these smart shelves increased the satisfaction of the consumer and motivated

them to continue shopping at those specific stores. Overall, the technological developments that

occurred in the year 2015 resulted in a break-through in the shopping world and increased

convenience for retailers and consumers.

Apart from this, during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, retailers were forced to adjust

to new procedures and measures put in place to keep people in our society safe, meaning new

technological developments were required (Baldwin, 2020). Stores such as Lush implemented a

“touchless” shopping method where consumers were able to scan items within the store on their

phone to check prices (Baldwin, 2020). This way they did not have to physically touch the item

to discover information about it. This helped to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and give

consumers peace of mind that they were less at risk at that specific store. Another technological

measure put in place during this time was artificial intelligence technology (Baldwin, 2020).

Since many felt uncomfortable physically shopping in stores, many retailers installed technology
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that allowed consumers to simulate “trying on clothes” through their website. Consumers were

able to pick an outfit and see exactly what they would look like by uploading an image of

themselves (Baldwin, 2020). This increased convenience for the customer, and allowed for

retailers to continue making money throughout the pandemic.

Additionally, now in 2021, in many retail stores consumers are able to check out through

various payment apps. Consumers are able to scan their item in the store and pay on their phone

rather than wait for a self-checkout machine to be available (Forbes, ). This is extremely

convenient and time efficient for consumers as they are able to shop at their own pace and do not

have to worry about waiting in a long line. This will motivate the consumer to shop at this

specific retail store as opposed to a similar retail store that has not implemented the payment app

system. The only downside to this method of shopping is that theft is made easier for consumers.

Since shopping is in the consumers control, they can easily steal an item without a retailer

noticing. Aside from this, the development of mobile payments has helped with efficiency as

well as limited the amount of people present within a store, thus limiting the spread of

COVID-19.

Overall, during the six main eras that occurred within retail, major technological

developments were established and have not only improved convenience but have helped to keep

people healthy and safe during a time of fear and uncertainty. Although this is positive, our

dependence on technology will continue to increase, and future generations may not have the

knowledge to deal with crises without the presence of technology.

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References

Baldwin, C. (2020, November 13). Covid-19: How retailers are using technology to

respond to changing shopping habits. Retrieved November 18, 2021, from

https://www.computerweekly.com/feature/Covid-19-How-retailers-are-using-techn

ology-to-respond-to-changing-shopping-habits

Council, F. (2021, March 05). Council post: 13 Big Retail Tech Trends to watch for in

2021. Retrieved from

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/03/08/13-big-retail-tech-trend

s-to-watch-for-in-2021/?sh=50de37bf2284

Danziger, P. N. (2006). Shopping why we love it and how retailers can create the ultimate

customer experience. Chicago, IL: Kaplan Pub.

Heichelbech, R. (2021, March 04). 10 photos of what shopping was like in the 1950s.

Retrieved November 18, 2021, from

https://dustyoldthing.com/shopping-in-the-1950s/

Keenan, M. (2021, October 05). What is RFID technology and how can I use it? Retrieved

November 18, 2021, from https://www.shopify.com/retail/rfid-technology

Post, S. (2015, October 28). 5 ways technology is revolutionizing The way we shop.

Retrieved November 18, 2021, from

https://www.businessinsider.com/sc/technology-changing-the-in-store-retail-experie

nce-2015-10
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Ross, A. (2016, September 09). America's first supermarket at 100: How it changed the

world. Retrieved November 18, 2021, from

https://time.com/4480303/supermarkets-history/