Most of us have been ordering products off of the internet for years now, but things can be made even easier. Now we have what is known as “subscription shopping,” wherein certain websites will automatically send products to you without your ever having to do a thing. Venture capitalist Phineas Barnes claims that consumers are overwhelmed with all of the choices out there; this service can only make things easier for them. This service operates much like the Fruit-of-the-Month Club, though it is a bit unclear as to what exactly these services offer. Can one rely on the website to not take advantage of their subscription by automatically sending them the items with the most exorbitant prices? Also, can a consumer set the automated ordering system to send them the same items each week or month, or are these subscriptions entirely controlled by the company one is purchasing from?
I don’t foresee this as being a long-standing trend, or at least not one that is likely to grow very far beyond where it is now. As the article on Adweek says, a lot of orders sent via subscription companies are a direct result of consumers simply being too lazy to cancel. If a lazy consumer were to be charged a decent amount for one of these subscription purchases, I believe they would rather swiftly cancel their subscription. What do you think? Would you ever subscribe to a shopping service? I wouldn’t.
I agree, I wouldn't do this either.
ReplyDeleteNeither would I. I think the service would make me a bit uneasy about what I was really spending my money on and the sercuity of my personal information.
ReplyDelete