Online music retailers usually offer more than just music through their websites. High street stores such as HMV and Virgin Megastore both offer a wide range of items in their high street stores, and the same applies to their online presence. There are also many companies who have only an online presence, such as play.com, cdwow or cdbaby, for example. The online stores of high street chains usually contain a catalogue that is as good as, if not better than its physical stores. There are many advantages to shopping at these online stores too. Prices are usually cheaper, and many offer free shipping as well.
Online stores tend to have digital counterparts to their physical stores too. You can access help pages on which you can usually find the answers to any questions you may have. Consumers have the ability to listen to mp3 sound clips of many songs on the site, which is the internet equivalent of asking if you can listen to a CD in the shop. Some online stores may offer exclusive artwork or offers on pre ordered releases, or special offers and sales with prices that are only valid online and not in high street stores. Digital downloads are also being increasingly popular, and many high street names are beginning to include the ability to download digital copies of music that they offer through their websites. Digital downloads are usually cheaper than buying a physical copy of the same album too. HMV’s online store also offers a gift wrapping service for customers who are buying music or other items that they wish to send to others as gifts.
One big difference is that you cannot obviously pay cash on these websites. They tend to accept every form of major debit and credit card, and many smaller websites accept web based payment sites and schemes such as PayPal and NoChex. These are useful for people who are not too keen on inputting their card details over the internet, as they take the funds from their bank account and then send them via PayPal, where the company can then deposit the ‘money’ into its bank accounts.
I think the main advantages of using online retailers is that they offer cheaper prices, and that it is very convenient to be able to order music, films or items of clothing from your own home, which is ideal for people with a busy and hectic lifestyle. However, there are such disadvantages, such as there being the (very small, realistically) possibility of the consumers card details being obtained by hackers, and also the fact that items can be lost in the post too.
Hey
I enjoyed reading your article, it was very interesting. I have found that you didn’t include much about independent online stores. Also you talked about digital downloads but havn’t included infomation about online stores such as itunes that only sell digital downloads. Overall, I found that you have include everything needed to know.
Mandy
xox
A nice overview, Lee. As a general principle of blogging, I think it’d be great if you could link to the sites that you mention.
One of the things to consider about music retail is the proliferation of digital retail by organisations that have never been in the music business before. Apple’s iTunes store is a really good and obvious example of that — but tech companies and website developers over the world are starting up online retail even though it never would have occurred to them to sell records offline.
A interersting topic, thanks.
U have mentioned Hacker in here, yes, but the online stores they are use SSL system to protect their sits.
Tim, Uk said:’It still makes me laugh when people say they do not like giving their credit card details over the internet ‘.
It is intersting to know from you that HMV offer gift wrapping service, I would like to have try in future.
Yes! Thanks!
Ref:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/1097341.stm