With the holidays around the corner, the beginning of holiday shopping is just starting. The question is whether consumers will continue to shop online or spend time in physical stores to buy gifts. As online shopping continues to become a popular way to save time, money (and avoid the crowds), physical stores might see a challenge filling their shops with consumers. However, ICSC reports that physical stores still “remain the indispensable foundation of the consumer landscape.” Despite the growth of online shopping, brick-and-mortar stores still bring in crowds before Thanksgiving and during the busiest shopping days of the year, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Much of this has to do with stores expanding their presence online to appeal to multiple age groups such as GenX-ers, Millennials, and Baby Boomers.
With ICSC’s Chicago Deal Making this week, it’s important for retailers to continue to find ways to entice consumers to take that extra time to come through their doors, but still, provide a solid online presence that shows who they are as a company in addition to their products. It seems like a good balance of both becomes a win-win for both the consumer and the company.