The Future of Brick and Mortar Store

The Future of Brick-and-Mortar Stores

Lola Li

John Hopkins University Carey Business School

The Future of Brick-and-Mortar Stores

Introduction

There is a crisis in Brick-and-Mortar industry; retailers are suffering declining revenues nowadays. The GALLUP website (http://www.GALLUP.com/) provides nearly 6% of Americans would rather purchase online instead of shopping in stores. Since consumers find it is much more convenient to purchase online, they always use smart phones within brick-and-mortar stores to compare prices with E-retailers, and then, go back home to shop online, this is called showrooming phenomenon.

The Advantages of Online Shopping

Actually, showrooming phenomenon is nothing new, the key point is why it happens. In the early 2000s, the Internet has been gradually put into a position of takeover, some people may choose to shop online but it was not that popular. In 2009, Miami-based Retail Systems Research’s report noted that there is a huge increase in online shopping consumers due to the popularity of smart mobile (“eCommerce In Context:Coping with Maturity,” 2014). These devices gave people freedom to shop whenever they want. It is much more convenient compared with shopping in stores. Listing an order, searching the merchandise you want and click the mouse, you can instantly purchase the shopping order. Besides, online stores are available 24 hours a day, however, it is very rare for a brick-and-mortar stores keep open round the clock of 24/7. Office workers have to work during work day and need rest at the weekend, they do not have time or have no chance to go shopping, therefore, shopping online gives them great convenience and flexibility to shop in their own pace. Also, it saves time. When buying merchandise in conventional stores, such as ZARA, we need to endure a long line to wait for fitting or paying. Online store is designed to cut down these weaknesses, every single person has their own interface to select and purchase items....