Technological evolution

By John Perry-Goodson

The evolution in technology makes it difficult for local retailers to sell older equipment to consumers.

Electronics have evolved and became more advanced, from watching shows on a 24-inch black and white box TV, to watching movies on a 105-inch curved 4000 resolution television.

Children are adapting to technological changes by using smartphones at a younger age. How does this evolution of technology affect retailers?

“If we go back seven years ago that’s when CDs and DVDs, they were our biggest thing we sold. They were very popular because USBs and hard drives hadn’t caught on,” said Joseph Seman, services supervisor at Staples. “There definitely is a change in how technology has grown, the older stuff has phased out.”

Seman also said “the hard part about selling consumers electronics is making sure they find the right product for them.”

The technology that is provided by retailers eventually becomes outdated due to newer and more advanced technology being developed.

”Electronic stuff is expensive, so you want to tell people exactly what they’re getting for their money,” said Giselle Banner, electronics department manager at Walmart.

The most common electronics that consumers buy are associated with networking such as routers, laptops, games and gaming systems. However, people tend not to buy older electronics since some of the least common electronics consumers purchase are CDs, DVDs, and TV antennas – which are quickly becoming obsolete.

Seman said hard drives are now more popular than CDs and DVDs. This change shows how every bit of technology will be popular at some point, but will eventually become obsolete due to newer technology, which makes the cycle continue.