Movie star advocates online shopping

Monday, May 13, 2013 - 10:09 by Sarah Collinson

Gwyneth Paltrow, who can currently be seen starring in the record-breaking Iron Man 3, this month revealed her latest smartphone app and also spoke about her experiences with e-commerce in general.

She said that the main thing which attracts her to a shopping site is good design, since this allows her to find the products she wants and easily carry out transactions without having to deal with clunky interfaces.

Paltrow also said that shopping online can be a real time-saver, because it means she can make purchases even if there is no opportunity for her to visit a bricks and mortar outlet.

Her preferred e-commerce experience involves relaxing on the sofa with a glass of wine after her children have been put to bed, which will reflect the habits of millions of British consumers.

In general, Paltrow will use safe shopping online to buy fashion items and she likes boutique websites, where designer clothes and accessories can be easily catalogued in one place.

Interestingly, she revealed that while she shops online for garments, she now likes to do her food shopping in real world outlets. This is in part because she has actually opened her own small scale store that specialises in cheese, which means she has a vested interest in fostering this type of retail experience.

The rich and famous arguably have more cause to use online stores for their shopping because it means they do not have to go out in public and brave the fans and paparazzi photographers.

For the rest of us, the convenience and relaxation offered by e-commerce and mentioned by Paltrow will be familiar benefits that keep people coming back to the web. So whether you are a Hollywood star or a home worker, online shopping is going to be popular.