Nowadays, the line between brick and mortar shops and e-commerce platforms is blurrier than ever. Most shops have e-commerce websites as an alternative method of shopping, while e-platforms have significantly closed the gap in terms of delivery time and overall popularity.
However, since we’re dealing with completely different methods of shopping, it’s only natural that there are still some distinct contrasts that separate brick and mortar shops from e-commerce websites.
Let’s take a look at the five main benefits people who prefer shopping in person often point out as the reasons why they prefer buying in that manner more than through electronic devices:
- They have the ability to see the item before they commit to paying for it.
- They do not have to wait for someone to deliver the item but can take it home right away.
- They avoid the possibility of ending up with something they did not choose.
- There’s no danger of the item getting damaged during shipping.
- Being able to talk directly with a sales representative before buying an item.
On the other hand, these are the five main advantages people who prefer shopping online cite as reasons why it is their preferred method of seeking out goods:
- Online stores are available for browsing and ordering goods 24/7.
- E-platforms make it easy to compare and discover better prices for similar items.
- They are able to save a lot of time by shopping online.
- No crowds, no checkout lines, no hassle.
- It provides the ability to shop things otherwise unavailable due to geographical restrictions.
The correlation between brick and mortar and e-commerce
A good way to understand the dynamic correlation between regular stores and e-commerce platforms is to review case studies, such as this infographic composed by Red Brain. The report uses examples of noteworthy store brands such as Walmart, Nordstorm, The Home Depot, Best Buy and others to examine how their offline vendors measure up against the sales conducted on their online counterparts.
The report’s numbers prove that brick and mortars are still the dominant method, but it also demonstrates that e-commerce platforms are tirelessly closing the gap between the two leading shopping models.