Internet Shops as a New Economic Realit

In the course of the study we examined the history of the origin of online shops, revealed the pros and cons of online trading. We did not find any special differences in motives for purchasing goods by residents of our city in comparison with all-Russian ones. Only the consumption culture changes, and as a consequence, we observe a radical change in the type of consumer behavior: the shift from a targeted search for a specific product, the need for which is realized, to shopping as a form of leisure, which includes consumer behavior as one of its elements. During the focused interview, we learned that in Irkutsk 33 % named the purchase of specific items as the visit''s goals. Another option —«in general for shopping»— can be interpreted as shopping without a conscious purpose (flanking), when vaguely realized needs are intertwined with the desire to get acquainted with the assortment and spontaneous purchases. For many respondents (46 %) the shopping centers became the leading areas for youth leisure. Almost half of the respondents identified the local mall as «a place where you can have a pleasant time.» The massive development of Internet commerce raises doubts about the rationality of traditional forms of buying goods. There is a significant increase in the growth of Internet commerce, especially in such areas as travel, retail, finance, thematic advertising, as well as in the computer sector. The change in the structure of consumer demand is directly related to global changes in the market system.