Although for many retailers the growth of e-commerce is mainly a positive thing, for others it means a lot more work with not a huge amount gained. There is so much competition out there that some industries feel as though creating an online store is not worth the funds and time required.
As you can see in the infographic below, presented by redbrain.com, if you compare the money made from both the online and offline stores of some of the biggest brands in the US, the gains from online retail are nowhere near that of the physical stores. Even for these huge companies, it can be hard to get a look in.
However, these brands do have something that Amazon, the largest e-commerce giant in the US, does not have – a physical store. Consumers like the fact that they can physically go to shops like Walmart, Walgreens, or Costco and browse the aisles for things that they would like to buy.
They can try on clothes, chat with friends and ask their opinion on products, or ask staff who work there for an advice. You are either not able to do these things when shopping online or the process is harder and a lot more time-consuming.
Despite this, because of the rise in online shopping, consumers expect brands to have at least a presence online. If they want to stay up to date with the competition, their sites also need to be optimized for mobile devices and, if possible, have a matching app.
As consumers, we are more demanding than ever and we want the best of both worlds. Although the number of people shopping online is growing, it is clear that we are still a long way from going purely digital as people still like having the option to shop offline.
Take a look at the infographic below to find out some interesting stats about the online and offline shopping figures from some of America’s biggest and most successful retailers.
