|The Growth of Direct Retailing
goods and services. Examples include not only department stores and supermarkets,
but also banks, museums and insurance agencies. It's the last stage in the distribution
process and can even be done by manufacturers as well as retailers.
Direct Retailing focuses on the portion that does not involve a physical location. It
seems like this segment has been around forever with the way online shopping has
become such a huge part of our daily lives. But it wasn't always like this and there
were a few key social and technological advances that helped pave the way:
Not only has the computer revolutionized Direct Retailing, but it's arguably one of the
most significant inventions of all time. From the business side, it allowed for an easier
way to manage customer lists as well as process orders and maintain inventories.
From the consumer prospective, the growth of the Internet provided people with the
ability to shop day or night whenever it's most convenient.
Through the combination of the development of offset printing in the 1950s and laser
printers in the 1970s, businesses were able to create more attractive newsletters,
brochures and catalogs at a much reduced cost. Graphic design capabilities have
also greatly improved, especially since the early 1980s. The overall result was the
ability to start targeting markets and initiating one-to-one relationships.
Without the introduction of credit cards in the 1950s, Direct Retailing would still
primarily be a cash-with-order system. Now there are even more ways to make buying
online, through the mail or via telephone easier.
Women in the Workplace
It's almost absurd to think of the workplace without women in it, but before the 1950s,
that was more often the case. The breakdown of the archaic system of male provider
and female homemaker has made the convenience of Direct Retailing more appealing.
Not having lived in the 1950s myself, I can only imagine how different the world must
have been. I would guess few could have dreamed how much the advances made
back then would have reshaped the way buying and selling is done today.