Bricks-and-mortar shops are disappearing. At least, that seems to be the consensus. And it has immediate implications for book-selling, which is something of concern to all of us. But how true is that commonly held view? And what happens when the bigger chains (Target, Walmart etc) venture into Amazon’s arena?
A fascinating infographic by RedBrain answers that question. The key takeaway for me was just how hard it is for a traditional shop to challenge Amazon’s hegemony. For example, Target has in-store sales of $68bn vs. online ones of a mere $4bn. Walmart has a similar experience, with respective sales of $462bn vs. $15bn. And Kroger has an online revenue of just $22 million compared to $100 bn of in-store sales!
The original infographic and sources can be found on Redbrain’s blog.
Infographic by RedBrain
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Fabulous infograph! Sadly, many brick and mortar stores are closing. It’s frightening in a way, but I’m part of it being an online shopper. 🙂
I know, same here. I love brick&mortar shops, yet always seem to shop online.
The times are a changin’ indeed. 🙂
Thanks so much for this vital info, Nicholas. 🙂 I would be sad to see all the physical stores disappear. I really like being in a bookstore because of the calming and pleasant aura and atmosphere. And although I don’t do too much shopping in clothes stores, but online, I do like to to go to stores like Target and wander around, and pick up a few household items while there. It’s again, about the atmosphere. Another thing is malls. They’re a lot less crowded than when I frequented them in my late teens and early twenties. It used to be fun to walk around the mall and window shop. I don’t do that very much anymore, but I’d like to get back into that for walking exercise when I can’t walk outside. ^_^ Maybe I’ll write a blog on that. lol Thanks again! And I’ll be sharing your post on FB and Twitter. 🙂
Thank you for sharing your thoughts–and this post 🙂
You’re welcome.
Interesting graphic. Personally, if I’m browsing, I like to shop in a brick and mortar store. If I know exactly what I need, online shopping is a piece of cake, especially since I live an hour away from stores. 🙂
I know what you mean. Back in Edinburgh we lived at the city center. I used to visit shops all the time. I rarely do now, as I’m some 40 minutes away from stores.
I hope that bookstores stay around for a long time even though I haven’t visited on in a while. I think I will next time I head to the city. 🙂
They do have a unique feel to them.
Thank you for posting this, Nicholas. I appreciate the variety of topics you feature on your blog.
Yay! Thank you so much, Margaret. I’m always worried I may boring people or putting them off by not sticking to a single topic, so I really appreciate it 🙂
Very educational and proof that people still like to view, examine, and touch their purchases in-person before buying. What I found interesting (since I’m a Northerner living in the South) is how much more Southerners prefer live shopping, especially at the discount stores than the rest of the country. People in the South also love their thrift stores, in fact, some of them are just as nice as retail stores!
Thanks for sharing that, Pamela! I hadn’t realized the North/South aspect of it.
Thanks for this great infographic Nicholas. 🙂 — Suzanne
So glad you enjoyed it, Suzanne 🙂
Interesting to see that the lion’s share of sales is still in the store for these companies. People so still like to go shopping it seems. I am often interested by how Amazon can undercut most brands sold in shops. I appreciate they have less overheads and staff, but the difference and saving is often significant, not marginal. But for small independent retailers it must be a different story, and they have all but vanished on the High Street here.
Best wishes, Pete.
Quite so, Pete. I, too, was surprised to see just how wide the gap between online and store sales were for most of these shops.