The Future of Retail by Nicholas Negroponte

1) In this article, Negroponte does not have an explicit thesis. An appropriate thesis might be, "Over time, online shopping will become increasingly important but social factors such as the experience of going to a store will keep retailers alive."

2) Norman is a strong advocate of products being designed with the user in mind. There should be a certain natural design to everything that makes it so that the user does not need to consult an extensive manual or be confused as to what to do. Negroponte's description of online shopping surely would go along with these principles. Shopping online can be extremely simple and eliminates a lot of the frustration of shopping at stores that can come from long lines, no availability, unhelpful clerks, etc. On the internet, one can compare products from different companies and read previous customers' reviews of the product. The internet provides so much more information at so much more ease that it is no wonder it has become a very popular medium of purchasing goods.

3) Negroponte's ideas are still very relevant, possibly even more than when he wrote the article. Online shopping has continued to grow, and the types of things people can buy are increasing in variety. Some of the things one can find on eBay or Craig's List these days simply amaze me. Stores such as Amazon have continued to have great success over the years, as people use them to find information about their products before making a purchase. The success of online shopping has led to different marketing techniques too. Companies trying to sell online know that the shopper could simply google what they are looking for and find hundreds of competitors. Thus, this has forced companies to refine their methods. Negroponte was also right in that retail stores have not disappeared too. They are still very popular too. People enjoy having a shopping experience at a store they like, and many times there are sales at stores that one cannot find online. Retailers have also integrated the internet into their marketing strategy by creating websites to attract shoppers to the store.

4) I do not think retail will change significantly from what it is now. Maybe clerks will start to be more helpful and maybe more cashiers will be added to shorten lines, but overall things will remain about the same. There are some things that people usually do not buy online such as cars, groceries, furniture, etc. Many of these products are things that people like to see and feel before they make the actual purchase. Most of the products I buy on the internet are those that I already know exactly what they will be like such as books. People will always enjoy going to stores to wander and waste time. Browsing for things through a store is far more intriguing than browsing on the internet. Thus, there will always be a need for retail stores.