Does Brick & Mortar Retail Still Matter?

I own a brick & mortar retail store, and I shop online. There, I said it out loud.

We’ve been in the retail business for almost 20 years and have seen the waves of change in how people shop for the things they need, the things they want, and the things they don’t know they need or want yet. We’ve read the articles about the death of brick & mortar retail, seen the shift in shopping and buying behaviors, and have tried to evolve as a business through it all.

Miller Lite has waged a decades long battle between “Tastes Great” and “Less Filling”. The newest ads end with someone yelling at the top of their lungs, “It’s Both”!  This sums up how I feel about brick & mortar retail. 

Allow me to explain.

Buying online is super convenient, and we can do a great deal of shopping from the couch. We can have almost anything delivered to our doorstep without ever leaving the comfort of home. So then, why do people still leave their home, brave the elements, navigate traffic, park, and walk into a brick & mortar retailer to shop? 

At a core level, we humans have a yearning for social connections that drive us to get off the couch and venture out into the world. It is buried deep inside our DNA. We’re compelled to go in search of satisfying human experiences and be part of a larger community. We learn, we share, we gather, and we connect –  that’s what humans do.

At a practical level, we have questions, we want to see, feel, and experience actual products, and we want to know that someone is there to make things right when things go wrong. We want to talk face-to-face with an actual person, form relationships, share thoughts & opinions, get expert guidance, and have some fun along the way. 

Our business is proof that shopping with brick & mortar retailers is very much alive and well. We get to be part of those fulfilling human experiences with thousands of people every year. Our customers get all the practical benefits of shopping with people they know and trust, surrounded by actual products that they can touch, feel and try on, and knowing where they can find us whenever they need us.

So… is it human nature or practicality that keep retailers like us thriving? Like they say in the Miller Lite commercials, “It’s Both”!