[[{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/06\/30\/retail-shopping-digital-age\/#Article","articleBody":"Over the past few years, customers\u2019 demands have drastically changed, forcing the retail industry to change with them. Retailers have figured out that the way to sell more is to connect with the customer on their terms, which exists in the digital landscape. How can retailers do this while staying true to their business model?\nNew technology means new shopping models\nIn a perfect world, a shopper would be able to go into a retail store, pick out what they want, and purchase it on spot. Now, in the digital age, more and more retailers are creating \u2018showrooms\u2019 to just display samples of their items for consumers to purchase online. A customer can walk into a store, try on clothing and shoes, find their size, and order directly at the store. These changes in technology are shifting the way people shop, moving from the brick and mortar business model into a digital store.\nAlthough this is not a new business model, it\u2019s definitely new for retailers like clothing stores. In the past it was mostly used to sell furniture and larger items that did not easily fit into shopping bags or cars. This model is quickly catching on, not only because it is more cost-effective for the retailer, but also because it gives the store staff more time to connect with the customer rather than spending their time restocking the shelves.\nThe customer experience is key\nAt the end of the day, everything is about the customer experience, right? As a consumer myself, I am not sure how I feel about this model. When I go into a store, I like to purchase things on spot, not wait a week before they ship-I only expect that from online retailers like Amazon, though with Prime, I can get my orders the next day.\nTo keep up with customer needs, retailers need both a store front and an online presence that makes the customer experience seamless, no matter which venue they use. Without this incorporation, their business simply won\u2019t thrive.\nThe customer journey incorporates physical and digital\nWith online business models taking hold, companies will have to work even harder to stay relevant. When someone walks into a retail showroom and tries on items, but leaves without making a purchase, retailers have to stay one step ahead and send personalized reminders asking them to visit the showroom again, or to continue their shopping journey online.\nWill this new online trend cause brick and mortar store to become obsolete? In my opinion, the retailer will need to find the perfect balance between brick and mortar and online. As a consumer, I\u2019m looking forward to seeing how the retail community evolves. Now that everything is online, will this be the death of brick and mortar stores or will stores simply change the way they sell?\nExplore more about the future of retail here.","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/06\/30\/retail-shopping-digital-age\/#Article_Person","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/06\/30\/retail-shopping-digital-age\/#Article_Person_ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Rita-Shapiro-Das-150x150.jpg"},"name":"Rita Shapiro-Das","sameAs":"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/rita-shapiro-das-34538b21","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/rita-shapiro-das\/"},"dateModified":"2020-06-30T18:14:04+00:00","datePublished":"2017-06-30T11:00:00+00:00","description":"Retailers in the digital age must connect with the customer on their terms, including the digital landscape. What will the new business model look like?","headline":"Is the digital age the death of brick and mortar stores?","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/06\/30\/retail-shopping-digital-age\/#Article_ImageObject","height":"630","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Brick-and-mortar_FTR-1200x630.jpg","width":"1200"},"mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/06\/30\/retail-shopping-digital-age\/","name":"Is the digital age the death of brick and mortar stores?","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/","additionalType":"https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/wiki\/Q1193236","description":"Relevant, timely information & analysis on commerce trends, both consumer-facing and B2B.","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/themes\/hybris_foc\/assets\/images\/layout\/logo-new-2x.png?_=1","height":"96","url":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/themes\/hybris_foc\/assets\/images\/layout\/logo-new-2x.png?_=1","width":"500"},"name":"The Future of Customer Engagement and Experience","sameAs":["https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/a-call-for-a-better-experience\/id1479742201","https:\/\/twitter.com\/FutureOfCEC","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/groups\/4844282","https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/feed\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/"},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/06\/30\/retail-shopping-digital-age\/#Article"},{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"Organization","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/themes\/hybris_foc\/assets\/images\/layout\/logo-new-2x.png?_=1","height":"96","width":"500","@id":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/themes\/hybris_foc\/assets\/images\/layout\/logo-new-2x.png?_=1"},"name":"The Future of Customer Engagement and Experience","sameAs":["https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/a-call-for-a-better-experience\/id1479742201","https:\/\/twitter.com\/FutureOfCEC","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/groups\/4844282","https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/feed\/"],"additionalType":"https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/wiki\/Q1193236","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/","description":"Relevant, timely information & analysis on commerce trends, both consumer-facing and B2B.","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/"},{"@type":["Article"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/06\/30\/retail-shopping-digital-age\/#Article","@context":{"@vocab":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","kg":"http:\/\/g.co\/kg"},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/06\/30\/retail-shopping-digital-age\/","publisher":[{"@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/"}],"author":[{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/06\/30\/retail-shopping-digital-age\/#Article_author_Person","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/rita-shapiro-das\/\nhttps:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/rita-shapiro-das\/","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/06\/30\/retail-shopping-digital-age\/#Article_author_Person_image_ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/cdn-bijap.nitrocdn.com\/AuMaQmessFRMSicXmZsEecJFLEquAyoT\/assets\/static\/optimized\/rev-2de82eb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Rita-Shapiro-Das-150x150.jpg"}],"sameAs":"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/rita-shapiro-das-34538b21","name":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/rita-shapiro-das\/\nhttps:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/rita-shapiro-das\/"}],"image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/06\/30\/retail-shopping-digital-age\/#Article_image_ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Brick-and-mortar_FTR-1200x630.jpg","height":"630","width":"1200"}],"mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/06\/30\/retail-shopping-digital-age\/","datePublished":"2017-06-30T11:00:00+00:00","description":"Retailers in the digital age must connect with the customer on their terms, including the digital landscape. What will the new business model look like?","headline":"Is the digital age the death of brick and mortar stores?","name":"Is the digital age the death of brick and mortar stores?","dateModified":"2020-06-30T18:14:04+00:00","articleBody":" Over the past few years, customers\u2019 demands have drastically changed, forcing the retail industry to change with them. Retailers have figured out that the way to sell more is to connect with the customer on their terms, which exists in the digital landscape. How can retailers do this while staying true to their business model? New technology means new shopping models In a perfect world, a shopper would be able to go into a retail store, pick out what they want, and purchase it on spot. Now, in the digital age, more and more retailers are creating \u2018showrooms\u2019 to just display samples of their items for consumers to purchase online. A customer can walk into a store, try on clothing and shoes, find their size, and order directly at the store. These changes in technology are shifting the way people shop, moving from the brick and mortar business model into a digital store. Although this is not a new business model, it\u2019s definitely new for retailers like clothing stores. In the past it was mostly used to sell furniture and larger items that did not easily fit into shopping bags or cars. This model is quickly catching on, not only because it is more cost-effective for the retailer, but also because it gives the store staff more time to connect with the customer rather than spending their time restocking the shelves. The customer experience is key At the end of the day, everything is about the customer experience, right? As a consumer myself, I am not sure how I feel about this model. When I go into a store, I like to purchase things on spot, not wait a week before they ship-I only expect that from online retailers like Amazon, though with Prime, I can get my orders the next day. To keep up with customer needs, retailers need both a store front and an online presence that makes the customer experience seamless, no matter which venue they use. Without this incorporation, their business simply won\u2019t thrive. The customer journey incorporates physical and digital With online business models taking hold, companies will have to work even harder to stay relevant. When someone walks into a retail showroom and tries on items, but leaves without making a purchase, retailers have to stay one step ahead and send personalized reminders asking them to visit the showroom again, or to continue their shopping journey online. Will this new online trend cause brick and mortar store to become obsolete? In my opinion, the retailer will need to find the perfect balance between brick and mortar and online. As a consumer, I\u2019m looking forward to seeing how the retail community evolves. Now that everything is online, will this be the death of brick and mortar stores or will stores simply change the way they sell? Explore more about the future of retail here.   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