New Business-to-Consumer Retail Craze
		 
  They're calling it "S-Commerce" or 'shops' and it's being rolled out in
  cities and towns nationwide.
		 
  "It's a real revelation," according to Malcolm Fosbury, a middleware  
  engineer from Hillingdon.  "You just walk into one of these shops and  
  they have all sorts of things for sale."
		 
  Fosbury was particularly impressed by a clothes shop he discovered while
  browsing in central London. "Shops seem to be the ideal medium for  
  transactions of this type.  I can actually try out a jacket and see if  
  it fits me.  Then I can visualize the way I would look if I was wearing 
  the clothing."  This is possible using a high definition 2D viewing
  system,or "mirror" as it has become known.
		 
  Shops, which are frequently aggregated into shopping portals or "high 
  streets", are becoming increasingly popular with the cash-rich time-poor 
  generation of new consumers.  Often located in densely populated areas  
  people can find them extremely convenient.
		 
  And Malcolm is not alone in being impressed by shops.
		 
  "Some days I just don't have the time to download huge Flash animations
  of rotating trainers and then wait five days for them to be delivered in
  the hope that they will actually fit," says Sandra Bailey, a systems 
  analyst from Chelsea.  "This way I can actually complete the transaction
  in real time and walk away with the goods."
		 
  Being able see whether or not shoes and clothing fit has been a real  
  bonus for Bailey, "I used to spend my evenings boxing up gear to return.  
  Sometimes the clothes didn't fit, sometimes they just sent the wrong 
  stuff."
		 
  Shops have a compelling commercial story to tell too, according to  
  Gartner Group retail analyst Carl Baker.
		 
  "There are massive efficiencies in the supply chain. By concentrating 
  distribution to a series of high volume outlets in urban centres-  
  typically close to where people live and work-businesses can make  
  dramatic savings in fulfillment costs.  Just compare this with the  
  wasteful practise of delivering items piecemeal to people's homes."
		 
  Furthermore, allowing consumers to receive goods when they actually want
  them could mean an end to the frustration of returning home to find a 
  despatch notice telling you that your goods are waiting in a delivery  
  depot the other side of town.

  But it's not just the convenience and time-saving that appeals to  
  Fosbury, "Visiting a shop is real relief for me. I mean as it is I spend  
  all day in front of a freaking computer" 

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