No Need To Rush, Shoppers: In Praise Of Friction-full Retail

The buzz in retail today is often focused on the fast and frictionless. Speed is everything — from load times on mobile sites to rapid online delivery to cashier-less checkouts. Even the names of stores and services are biased toward momentum and immediacy (particularly those of online retailers): Amazon “Go,” “Instant Pickup” and Prime “Now”; Google “Express”; “Speedway” convenience stores; and so on. “Get in, get out, and get on with it,” this brand of retail proclaims. Subscription retail goes one step further and automates the entire process — no effort required whatsoever on behalf of the shopper. As we move into summer, however, let’s take the foot off the gas pedal. Warp-speed retail is desirable for regular, routine, “low consideration” purchases — and it’s not slowing down anytime soon. But there is also a very big place in retail for serendipity over speed, discovery over delivery, experience over “express.” In other words, “slow shopping.” Read more at Forbes.