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Online Shopping: From Clicks to Bricks and Back Again

The consumer affairs programme travels to New York to see how formerly online-only businesses are turning to high street showrooms. Could it work in the UK?

We're looking at how the internet has changed the high street, our shopping habits and what we wear. You can now see what your favourite actress is wearing in Cannes, order it in 6 sizes and colours and be wearing it within 24 hours. And we are doing that in ever-increasing numbers.

But what happens to the clothing we inevitably reject? We talk to the man who deals with forty football fields worth of online returns and learn that more than half of clothing bought online ends up being returned. You can learn about what he calls "the sniff test" for returned garments.

We travel to New York where once online-only businesses are opening high street showrooms in an attempt to recapture the magic of shopping. Would that catch on here?

And we discuss whether there's trouble ahead as entertainment and marketing become blurred. Exclusive new research shows that young people are shopping on smartphones, anytime and anywhere. Plus they are heavily influenced by celebrity and blogger endorsements. How will they navigate all that?

Presenter: Samantha Fenwick
Producer: Olive Clancy.

Available now

45 minutes

Chapters

  • Break With The Past

    How has the internet changed the way we shop?

    Duration: 05:07

  • What Gives?

    Do the shopping habits of the under 30s influence all of us?

    Duration: 09:41

  • Inspiration

    What can shops offer that online retail can't?

    Duration: 10:04

  • Ready Steady Return

    How easy is it to send back online goods and get a refund?

    Duration: 02:29

  • Dissapointments

    Half of online clothes shoppers in the past 6 months have returned at least one item.

    Duration: 09:02

  • What's Next?

    What's next for shopping?

    Duration: 02:25

Broadcast

  • Mon 30 May 2016 12:15

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