The Demise of Brick and Mortar Stores Not Really

Why the Growth of Online Shopping Will not Lead to the Demise of Brick and Mortar Stores
“Among other offerings, consumers will need to patronize brick-and-mortar stores for the unique experience—an item that simply cannot be found online.”
The number of online shoppers has been steadily growing over the last two decades. In addition to saving time, online shopping is immensely convenient – all a customer has to do is logon to a retailer’s website, select the items he or she is interested in, make payment, and voila! The items will be delivered home without the shopper ever leaving the house, or even bed! Why then would someone go to a physical store to queue, beat the traffic back home, and waste valuable time when a better way to shop is readily available thanks to the internet and ecommerce apps? The death of in-store shopping is nigh, right? WRONG!
While it is true that ecommerce and online shopping has impacted physical shopping, with some brick and mortar entities being pushed out of business, it should be noted that online shopping will not really completely take over and bring about the demise of the ‘few’ remaining physical stores. Why is this so? You may ask.
Although at first instance one might find it hard to believe and internalize, customers find instant help, assistance, or personal attention to be very relevant and helpful when they need to make a decision about the purchase of a specific product. Personalized attention is a constant feature of a brick and mortar store. This kind of personalized and instant assistance is absent in online shopping, and in its place, we have reviews. Such reviews, however, are never personalized and they mostly fail to address the customer’s specific needs. Whichever way you look at it, this is a feature online stores cannot be able to replicate.
There is also the issue of the social aspect of physical shopping. Visit any mall in any of the World’s capitals on a Saturday afternoon and will encounter social formations of couples holding hands, mothers tagging along excited children, and friends hopping from one venue to the other. In essence, physical shopping is an experience. There is no software yet to simulate this. And I doubt there will be any in the coming decades.
Another fact which is often overlooked by those spelling doom for brick and mortar stores is that inherently, human beings are social beings. Being social beings, they would want to interact with others, share experiences, and even exchange ideas. There is a social aspect to a price negotiation, attempt to seek clarification about something, and even the mere exchange of consideration during a purchase. This human contact and experience cannot be replicated in an online sale. After all, ecommerce software is not meant to be social.
Also, unlike is the case with brick and mortar shopping, online shopping lacks in one key area – instant gratification. There is no best way to put thus, but when your phone charger becomes faulty, you do not want to wait for a replacement two or three days later. Similarly, I doubt you would go through the hustle of ordering for a tissue paper online when you could just walk or drive to the nearest store and make a purchase.
Do not get me wrong. The internet is here, and it is changing our lives - and I get it. But the internet is not about to replace life as we know it, and it is unlikely that some activities will just vanish. Do not be in a hurry to write the obituary of brick and mortar stores.




Pitch to the Editor:
Just about everyone believes that physical stores will not be around for another decade. Is this assertion really accurate? No, it is not. I am of the opinion that the society should be presented with information that is not only accurate, but also fact-based. We, who are free thinkers, should present alternative views so as to inform balanced interrogation of facts. Assertions should be vigorously tested. On the strength of this argument, I hereby present an opinion-editorial piece titled, Why the Growth of Online Shopping Will not Lead to the Demise of Brick and Mortar Stores.
While many ‘experts’ in the recent past have predicted the demise of physical stores, due to the growing popularity of the internet and online shopping, a quick informed interrogation of this claim presents a somewhat different story. While it is indeed true that some brick and mortal stores have suffered, with some even closing since the onset of online shopping, physical stores are not about to be wiped out. As a matter of fact, online retailers like Amazon, who should theoretically not have physical stores, are opening several real-word stores. Why is this, you may ask. A quick review of my article will answer this question.
An article of this nature is not only timely, but also relevant at a time when many people have effectively written off brick and mortar outlets. The present article is likely to stir public debate into the subject matter, while at the same time permitting the emergence of alternate views. Although the popular assertion that online shopping will lead to the demise of physical outlets is an assertion that ought to be challenged, the views I express in the op-ed are my own and are not meant to replace expert opinion or question research-backed features.