The Ecommerce Enigma – Bricks and Mortar Still Trying to Compete
People are shopping online. A lot. We can no longer really call this an enigma, as it is easy to understand why people are, far more often than in the past, opting for the convenience made easily accessible through ecommerce.
According to the Financial Post, “Canadians spent US$26.6 billion shopping online last year, or about US$730 per capita, according to researcher eMarketer and Bloomberg calculations.” That represents a lot of shopping being done online, much of it on Amazon.
Amazon has almost perfected the art of online shopping. The sheer wealth of merchandise available through the online giant, as well as the quick shipping options, offer consumers the ability to conduct a great deal of their shopping in one spot. Need some new gardening sheers? Amazon can cover that. Just add it to your shopping cart next to that new dog bed, bulk box of granola bars and those essential oils.
Again we return to the bricks and mortar debate. Do these stats signify a departure from the traditional? Do the numbers represent the eventual death of bricks and mortar? We don’t think so. It does, however, push the notion of adapt or die. What Canadian retailers have come to realize is that they really need to up their online game in order to compete.
Sometimes this means investing in the tech that makes it possible for consumers to buy from you online and have the merchandise shipped directly to them. Sometimes it means providing the ability to shop online and then physically pick up. For both retailers and brands, it can also mean beefing up your online presence and making sure that, even if you don’t offer online shopping, customers can easily find you online. This type of online brand management also means ensuring your reputation remains as pristine as possible and that the retailers with whom you list are doing your brand justice.
For CPG, while things don’t seem to be moving at as quick a pace, with most Canadians still rather reluctant to turn to their laptops or mobile devices to buy their weekly foodstuffs, the recent acquisition of Whole Foods by Amazon may change that. At the very least, it is something to keep an eye on.
At Storesupport, we understand how important it is to compete – whether that be online or in-store. While bricks and mortar locations continue to be bombarded with threats from ecommerce, there are many ways to help ensure that you’re not just surviving, but thriving. Call us today to find out how we can help: 1-877-421-5081.
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