Product Management UX/UI & Interacion Blog — Frank derFrankie Neulichedl

Blinded by online shopping

How online shopping can take away your ability to shop local. A tell you a short story, half laughing, half crying.

It happened during my vacation. I wanted to get me an inflatable mattress (Lilo) - just a simple one to have fun while swimming in a lake. But where in the hell should I get one. I scratched my head and my first impulse was to open the laptop and search google for a shop to buy one. Well guess what - the result was no very satisfying. I couldn't get any good result - there is no local vendor search in Europe. Ordering them online was no option (I don't wanted to pay 5 Euro of shipping for a 4 Euro item and wait 2 days).

You think that I could have just run down the street to the next mall or shop who sells sport items. You're right, but I actually didn't remember where I could buy an inflatable mattress - I was blinded by online shopping. And there are good reasons for this:

  • I live (for the most time) in a rural area - the next mall is 150 km away
  • Local "we have all" stores are gone a long time - even sport shops just have clothes on their shelves. There is actually just one shop who has "sport-hardware" in my 30 km neighborhood and even they have only a limited choice of goods.
  • I'm used to buy exactly the item I want, not the item the vendor decides he wants to have in his store (Clothes are an exemption - I want to try them to know if they fit). It's frustrating to go/drive from shop to shop to find the product I want.
  • Online shopping has therefore become my main shopping experience - If I need something I look for the best product (recommandations/reviews), look online for the best price and buy it.

I'm so used now to shop online for the goods I need that I really can't tell you where in the neighborhood I would find the things I need. I did finally buy a mattress at a local sport shop - I was lucky, I stumbled over it driving by and they had one left. There was no choice but in the end I had fun with it in the lake.

Did you experience something similar - your stories are welcome.

Image by M.V. Jantzen

My Week on Twitter for 2009-03-15

  • I did it - the new design of my german blog is online with #thesiswp http://cli.gs/Uyt2LG #
  • Now that some of the work is done - let's get some nice cooking going #
  • SmK (german): Der Frühling macht alles neu http://cli.gs/VzHg2R #
  • Hello to anyone and I hope you have a good start in this week as I do #
  • Reading: "Return on Design" (http://twitthis.com/xzeayo) #
  • Seems intresting - Audit about #Taxonomy and #SEO http://cli.gs/nqavSW #
  • New Blogpost: Can photoshop retouching save photo shooting costs? http://cli.gs/d4LeZY #
  • Ready for the first cuba gang meeting after a year - ressurecting the gang :) #
  • New Blogpost: Can photoshop retouching save photo shooting costs? http://cli.gs/d4LeZY #
  • InDesignSecrets » Blog Archive » How to apply kerning as a character style http://cli.gs/qhGJ9W #
  • Der neueste Post auf Spaghetti mit Knödel wird wellen schlagen - Ich weiß es... http://cli.gs/8PWnaD #Südtirol #Siegesdenkmal #Bozen #
  • SmK (german): Das Siegesdenkmal gehört uns http://cli.gs/m32seb #
  • RT @iamkhayyam: Create RSS feeds OPML files with FeedShow http://ow.ly/QcJ - neat little tool #
  • RT @imjustcreative: Blanka || Workbook 03 - detail 3 *if you like scribble books, this is neato (http://ping.fm/dW71A) - really neat #
  • Skipping lunch to finish the photo shooting early - I was wise to bring some fruit with me #
  • Up up and away - a brain storm is comming #
  • #followfriday @imjustcreative @designmeme @sparklinks @jdevalk @kristarella (for thesis needs) #
  • RT @jackstow: Google Easter egg: 'the answer to life the universe and everything' Googled - http://tinyurl.com/apgjsg Who knows the source? #
  • Imagine a meeting room smelling like being at the dentist - difficult staying focused #
  • I'm still amazed that a 19 year old can claim to be a CEO - http://cli.gs/zUqaSG #
  • Micro-Preview on a new project http://fcukcrisis.com/ #fight #financial #crisis #
  • RT @carterharkins: RT @designmeme 75+ Excellent Free Fonts For Professional Design http://tr.im/hkYy #fonts jackpot! - Great List #
  • Thanx to all who #followfriday 'd me - I'm off and out - BTW: Mum, I think I shrinked the internet - cause who networks gets closer ;-) #
  • New Layout of Facebook Homepage is not nice but works well - and yes there is as usual people who complain #

My Week on Twitter for 2009-03-08

  • Slow sunday - no motivation for pimping my personal sites - so let's get started with the ps3 #
  • Monday regular work is over - now writing a new lesson for my "become an art director" blog #
  • New on Become an Art Director: What Digital Asset Management is for you? #DAM http://cli.gs/UGXQ2s #
  • Finally getting to some point on my redesign of my german blog #
  • RT @parkhere: "Creative people don’t have a choice...learn everything there is about digital or become a dinosaur" // http://bit.ly/6KTLd #
  • RT @mayhemstudios: 10 Tips for Moving from Part-Time to Full-Time Freelancing http://tr.im/4z44 #
  • This is italy - Start a print mag about typography and do combine bad lettering and pdf's with missing fonts http://cli.gs/zpz9hj LOL #
  • It's march or november? Looking out of the window I can't tell :( #
  • BAck from office and right into some more design #
  • Great Design Portfolio - lol - #portfolio http://cli.gs/uRndUD #
  • Netdiver - great inspirational site - http://cli.gs/mMMs2Q #
  • After getting mad at CSS and not working widgets I go to the gym to work the f*** off - have a nice evening #
  • Had a nice Ricotta/Goat cheese Pizza - Yummy weekend #
  • Nine Inch Nails (mfb) in the new trailer for Terminator 4 - NIN seems cool for trailers :-) http://cli.gs/ngvGTM #

My Week on Twitter for 2009-03-02

My Week on Twitter for 2009-02-22

  • Reading: "Five tips for better online surveys" (http://twitthis.com/bl7bjp) #
  • New Lesson from Become an Art Director: Where is all the money gone http://tinyurl.com/ava6jw #
  • It's 3 am - I'm sick and can get no sleep - what a beautiful Tuesday ;-) #
  • RT @cheth: RT: @markshaw How To Opt-Out Of Receiving Automated Welcome DMs: http://bit.ly/5PIzZ - Virus and Antidote from the same maker :) #
  • Back at work - still sick - and has to remind himself that trusting a print shop is good, controlling a print shop is better #
  • Throat hurts and eyes are squares, time for some rest, bye #
  • Gerade ein Interview fertig mit "Südtiroler Gesellschaft für Politikwissenschaft" für ihr Jahrbuch ... Thema "Internetwahlkampf" #
  • Great List of Corporate Design Style Guides http://cli.gs/e4U3Yy #CD #
  • Starting into the "Fashing" - if you see people in funny customes don't worry, it will last until tuesday #fashing #