“A SURPRISING PREDICTOR IS CAR OWNERSHIP—THERE ARE CERTAIN MAKES OF CAR THAT CORRELATE FAIRLY HIGHLY TO REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRATIC VOTING.”
There’s a shopping revolution happening—and it’s taking place in stores, online, deep inside your wallet, and everywhere else transactions have traction. From the way we spend money, to the things we spend it on, to the sales outlets themselves, consumers are wandering in a wonderland of buying potential. PayPal’s “digital wallet,” Amex’s slick socializing, Square’s disruptive tech, Warby Parker’s new way of selling eyeglasses, and Fab.com’s, well, fab design site represent just a few of the people and companies at the forefront of the movement—and the innovations powering the way we shop now.
Pinterest users not only buy the products they pin, but spend more on average than their Facebook counterparts, according to new data from Shopify.
Ssense, a luxury retail company based out of Montreal, has recently introduced what they’re billing as the “world’s first interactive shoppable music video.” And yup, it’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like. I Think She Ready features Diplo, FKi, and Iggy Azalea all decked out and styled in brands and items carried by the site, while WireWax technology, which enables users to tag videos in essentially the same way they would a Facebook post, makes the “interactive shoppable” part possible.
“We want brands to view us as a place full of their fans and influencers,” says CTO and cofounder Pasha Sadri. To that end, last fall it introduced the Polyvore Intelligence Report, a monthly set of analytics that breaks down the demographics of Polyvore users and tracks their top trends and items. The report is sent for free to select retailers, designers, and editors, revealing what shoppers want now. (Hot: fisherman sweaters and studded handbags!)
A giant, interactive infographic on the price tag for The 12 Days of Christmas.
The Cost Of Christmas Is Up 3.5 Percent This Year to $24,263.18
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Most of the stuff we do every day happens in patterns, like how we shop. You probably have never given it so much as a thought, but the chances are you enter the supermarket and then navigate the aisles in a counter-clockwise direction. It’s been designed that way. Data compiled in a study for my new book Brandwashed surveyed 200 stores revealing that shoppers who move counter clockwise spend $2 more per shopping trip than those who wheel their trolleys in the opposite direction. Human beings are naturally more inclined to move to the left (because it’s easier to reach out with our right arm to grab whatever it is we need), so a right-side entryway is a subtle yet effective means of ensuring a counter-clockwise shopping flow.
PS Keep your right hand in your pocket the next time you go shopping – it may save you $2!
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Is our consumer culture, focused on the constant purchasing of disposable goods, destroying our civilization? Quite possibly! But it’s also, apparently, making us live longer and healthier lives. Researchers in Taiwan recently completed a study that shows that elderly men and women who shopped once a week or more were 27% less likely to die than those who shopped less frequently.
Finally the words you have been waiting to hear, “Shop ‘til you drop!” Well, I suppose according to the research, shopping doesn’t make you drop quite as fast as not shopping. Did you catch that? Feel free to bust out your wallet at any time while reading this. You can start right here with your very own subscription to Fast Company!
