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The Industrial Revolution Of The Middle Class Essay

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As the Industrial Revolution brought a rise of the middle class, a mass participation in the market emerged, thus a new system of trade was required. The concept of active buying was therefore transformed and passive shopping became the future. The new ways to shop became a revolution in itself, contributing to all aspects of consumerism, mass production and industrialisation in society. Defined by the Oxford Dictionary, consumerism is “the protection or promotion of the interests of consumers.” The initial concern for building sales and providing ease for shoppers employed by department stores allowed the ability to develop a system of promotion. By applying a range of key methods concerning payment, customer service, target audiences, the atmosphere, and visual merchandise, businesses have been enabled to rapidly increase their sales since the introduction of the department store. Hence came a new model of consumerism, of which is still relevant in department stores to this day.

Before the giant emporiums of the early department stores were introduced and window shopping was born, the consumer experience was far more direct in terms of purchasing goods. Shops and stalls would sell only one specific type of product or focus on a single service. For example, one would not typically find shoes in a store that specialises in selling homewares. This was originally designed for ease of the experience between both the merchant and the consumer. The merchants and craftsmen would

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