Purchasing Ghost Items

     As a frequent clothes shopper, I've had my fair share of online shopping experiences. The site depends on the day and my mood, but when I don't feel like spending a lot, I find myself scrolling through the pages and pages of sale items on Forever 21’s website. Although looking through clothes is rather relaxing for me, I find myself rudely interrupted when there’re items listed that aren't in stock. There have been numerous times when I’ve clicked on a cute top that I might want to buy, only to find it’s out of stock and not available for purchase. With much annoyance, I would think to myself, Why can't they just take it off the site if the item isn't available for purchase?

     From the perspective of the company, this is a rather smart tactic. If you still list the item, people will be tempted to buy it and c lick on it. Even if they can’t purchase it right then and there, the company can just add them to an  emailing list to get notified when the item is back in stock. This strategy allows the company to make money off of people even when there’s technically no product.

     Despite my annoyance, overall l understand the reasoning behind this method. It may be inconvenient and annoying, but it's Forever 21’s way to do business.  Big brands like this need their profits to grow, not plateau.

Comments

  1. UnknownMay 7, 2017 at 12:17 PM

    I completely agree that companies use this to lure shoppers into still buying their products. But I also think it is used to measure what the consumers want. If a product goes out of stock and then there is a long waiting list, businesses will start to realize that consumers want more of those products. This will further their profits because they'll start to release products that seem to be a hit versus products that barely sell. It's a smart tactic for businesses to use to keep track of their selling and not selling products.

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  2. Nicole NublaMay 9, 2017 at 10:06 AM

    I agree. When you find out its out of stock you probably just go find something else to buy, and add yourself to the list to be notified when its restocked as well. This increases their sales and gets the customers what they want, just not when they want it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Eleanor IngramMay 9, 2017 at 6:35 PM

    The fact you can give your email and they will remind you about it later I find very interesting. This reminded of me the Vans competition where you can vote for your favorite shoes if you give your email. The companies get you to give pieces of your personal information and then they can use it how they like. With the Vans example, they know students will be going to vote for their schools in hopes of winning money for their art programs. Teens tend to be growing and will need new shoes. Vans then has all these teenagers' emails and can send them emails whenever about their new shoes or sales. Convenient for the people who need shoes and especially convenient for the company those people will buy them from. Other companies just like Forever 21 will do the same type of thing.

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