Home Shopping is the method of shopping from the comfort of the shoppers home which is facilitated by television channels showing products, or through catalogs or through mail order. Home shopping allows the consumer to shop for goods while in the privacy of their own home, as opposed to traditional shopping, which requires you to visit brick and mortar stores and shopping malls.
History of home shopping:
The history of home shopping is as interesting as the concept itself. In 1977 a radio talk show host was asked to sell avocado green bottle openers as an advertiser had given the radio station the product in lieu of the payment for advertising. The host Bob circosta was reluctant at first but was surprised along with the station owner Bud Paxson when all the openers were sold within an hour. Realizing the potential of this kind of sale, Paxson founded the world's first shopping channel on cable television, later launching nationwide with the Home Shopping Network (rebranded as HSN). Bob Circosta was America's first ever TV home shopping host.
How it works:
Home shopping follows a method of broadcasting on the television demonstrations of the products. The uses and the advantages of using the product are explained to the viewer / customer. Then the network gives details of where and how the viewer can contact the seller. Phone numbers are provided where the customer can call up to place the order. Orders can also be placed through mail. The orders are then dispatched to the address provided by the customer.
Mail Order Catalog:
Home shopping is also conducted through mail-order catalog which is a publication containing a list of goods for sale from a company. The companies which publish these mail order catalogs are known in the industry as catalogers. They are either the manufacturers of the goods or they purchase them from the manufacturer and market the goods to the prospective customers through the mail order catalog. The catalog is typically published like a magazine, with pictures, product description and details such as price etc. and is distributed through the postal service, etc. the purchaser can respond to the company using the postal service, internet or the telephonic response.
Conclusion:
Home shopping as an industry quickly revolutionized and has changed the way shopping was done. It has become an industry that churns out billions of dollars of business every year. Companies such as Home shopping Network have revolutionized home shopping. E commerce companies such as EBay and Amazon which began as an online bookstore, generate billions of dollars worth business every year.
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