4 Advantages of Brick & Mortar Over eCommerce
As the popularity of online retailers and online shopping continues to rise, the question of which is better, online shopping or brick and mortar shopping, is becoming increasingly more significant.
Here is a look at some of the key advantages of brick and mortar businesses over eCommerce businesses.
1. Popularity
61 % of shoppers shop in-store as opposed to online at an eCommerce store. This means that brick and mortar stores still have a major advantage when it comes to overall demand.
Online retailers have been stealing parts of this demand for years. However, they have still not overtaken brick and mortar stores. One day, they might, however, currently, they still sit well behind brick and mortar stores in this category.
2. Instant Gratification
People who purchase items at brick and mortar stores have instant access to them. This means they do not have to pay for, or wait for shipping. This is a huge advantage for brick and mortar stores.
People who buy items from an online retailer often have to wait days, or even weeks before the item shows up at their home. This creates a sense of frustration. The fact that shipping can also be expensive does not help at all.
Services such as Amazon Prime are doing a good job expediting shipping, and making it cheaper. However, it is still a major challenge for eCommerce businesses in terms of keeping up with their brick and mortar counterparts.
3. The Ability to Try On or Try Out Products
Shopping for clothes with eCommerce stores can be very difficult. The reason is because it is incredibly hard to tell if something will fit or not. Online retailers simply cannot replicate the ability of brick and mortar stores to allow customers to try things on and test them out.
For example, a person who wants to buy a computer may want to try out the computer before he or she makes a purchase. However, only brick and mortar stores have this option. This is a strong advantage for brick and mortar stores.
4. Social Aspects
Many people go shopping at brick and mortar stores with their friends or their families as a social activity. They browse stores, look at items, and walk around malls chatting with each other and having fun.
Online stores simply have no way to replicate this process. Shopping online is usually a very solitary experience and done strictly for convenience and/or savings.
So, even though online shopping is strongly increasing in popularity, it still has a way to go before it knocks brick and mortar shopping off its perch as the most popular method.
