10 Apps That Changed How We Think About Shopping
This post is part of the "Future of Business" series, which examines how cutting-edge technologies are rapidly reshaping our world, from how businesses run to how we live. "The Future of Business" is sponsored by SAP.
See more Future of Business >>
In the past, an example of online-offline crossover might be researching a purchase online and buying it in a store. But mobile apps that scan barcodes or recognize book and CD covers have turned that behavior on its head, creating a "showrooming" trend where people browse in physical stores and then buy from an online store. And some online retailers, especially innovators like Fab and One Kings Lane, are reporting that anywhere from 30 to 50 percent of their sales are done on mobile devices, depending on the time of year.
Retailers have fought back against showrooming, but there's more change coming. Person-to-person commerce from startups like Poshmark and Yardsale, enabled by smartphones' cameras, location features, and the trust provided by social-network connections, are upending established e-commerce players, prompting a big response from eBay.
As we survey the new landscape of commerce, shopping apps that are catching fire with consumers provide a window into fast-changing consumer behavior.
Disclosure: Jeff Bezos is an investor in Business Insider through his personal investment company Bezos Expeditions.