How Selfridges revolutionised shopping for women

Express Research

EXPRESS RESEARCH

Dear reader,   One can say that with the emergence of digital commerce, the departmental store is losing its traction. Many could argue that the new trend allows people to safely and comfortably shop from their homes. But shopping as a leisurely activity of walking around a store and experiencing products on display had brought some big changes in the history of human society. Departmental stores of the late 19th and early 20th centuries like Marshall Fields in the United States and Selfridges in London had transformed shopping as a transactional activity to one that was experience based. The story of this transition was nicely wound up with changes in consumerism patterns as well in the emergence of female liberation.    Our story this week by Mira Patel traces the advent of shopping as we know it today. It all goes back to an enterprising young American, Harry Selfridge, who was the first to explore the concept of window dressing. He believed that window shopping must serve visual and tactile experience, one that could be enjoyed in a moment of private self indulgence. It was a grand success in that he saw a massive increase in footfall of customers. But there was something else happening alongside. These new age departmental stores became spaces where women found liberation and opportunities.    Read the story: Displays of liberation: How Selfridges revolutionised shopping for women   Sincerely,   Adrija Roychowdhury

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