Recently, many shoppers chose to avoid the crazy crowds and do their holiday shopping from the comfort of their computer.Sales at online stores gained by more than 15%, making it the biggest season ever.But people are also returning those purchases at record rates, up 8% from last year. What went wrong? Is the shadow of the global financial crisis making it harder to accept excessive addiction? Or that people shop more impulsively  --and therefore make bad decisions --when online? Both arguments are seemingly reasonable.However, there is a third factor: a question of touch.We can love (lie look but, in an online environment, we cannot feel the quality of a texture  , the shape of the fit, the fall of a fold or, for that matter, the weight of an earring.And physically interacting with an object makes you more committed to your purchase. When my most recent book Brandwashed was released, I joined up with a local bookstore to conduct an experiment about the difference between the online and offline shopping experience.I carefully instructed a group of volunteers to promote my book in two different ways.The first was a fairly hands-off approach.Whenever a customer would ask about my book, the volunteer would take them over to the shelf and point to it.Out of 20 such requests, six customers made the purchase. The second option also involved going over to the shelf but, this time, removing the book and then holding onto it for just an extra moment before placing it in the customer's hands.Of the 20 people who were handed the book, 13 ended up buying it.Just physically passing the book showed a big difference in sales.Why? We feel something similar to a sense of ownership when we hold things in our hand.That's why we establish connection by greeting strangers and friends with a handshake.In this case, having to then let go of the book after holding it might produce a sense of loss, and motivate us to make the purchase even more. A recent study also showed the power of touch, in this case when it came to traditional mail.A deeper and longer-lasting impression of a message was formed when delivered ill a letter, as opposed to receiving the same message online.Brain images showed that, on touching the paper, the emotional center of the brain was activated, thus forming a stronger bond.The study also indicated that once touch becomes part of the process, it could translate into a sense of possession.  This sense of ownership is simply not part of the situation in the online shopping experience. Why do more customers return their purchases bought online?
They regretted being addicted to costly goods in the financial crisis. They changed their mind by the time (lie goods were delivered. They later found the quality of goods below their expectations. They had no chance to touch them when shopping online.