However, there are some pros and cons to brick and mortar retail, just as there are in online shopping. <\/p>\n\n\n
A word of caution \u2014 if you haven\u2019t mastered your store\u2019s online presence yet<\/em>, you are soon going to become irrelevant. Get the help you need with X-Cart<\/a><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n Here are some of the things you should consider about brick and mortar vs. online retail. To maximize profit, you can have online sales without sacrificing in-store shopping.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/a> The biggest benefit to the in-person shopping experience is the ability to humanize your brand in a way that isn\u2019t possible with digital media. A physical storefront offers your customers more meaningful ways to engage with your brand persona. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, companies like Eataly<\/a> and Ikea<\/a> use the majority of their floorspace in their brick and mortar locations for storytelling. These experiential marketplaces showcase products in use in daily life. Shopping at one of these retail businesses becomes more like retailtainment <\/a>and less about the transaction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Depending on your industry, there might be specific benefits to offering your products at an in-person location. Luxury items, for example, are very rarely an impulse buy. Big Ticket retailers like Tesla<\/a> and Apple<\/a> know that shoppers want to play with their products before they drop anywhere from $100 – $100,000. For these companies, in-person storefronts function more like real-life advertisements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These stores play a crucial role in bolstering purchases online, and the same logic applies to everyday goods such as apparel and grocery. Customers like to try a scoop of ice cream before they buy a pint. Similarly, if you sell shoes, you might find that you\u2019re struggling to sell to customers that don\u2019t even know their proper size. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even more likely, it might be far cheaper to set up a store to handle in-person returns than to pay for shipping returned and exchanged items. In fact, the convenience of brick and mortar retail is a huge purchase driver for customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Most big-box stores have turned their locations into fulfillment centers for eCommerce. Target<\/a> was one of the fastest retail giants to respond to the COVID-19 lockdowns because their stores have been functioning as mini-distribution centers for years now.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/a> Whether you started your business virtually or the old-fashioned way, it\u2019s high time that you diversified your revenue streams. Both physical retail and eCommerce stores have benefits, but they each offer something unique to your business. Here\u2019s a rundown of each: <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n I. Brick and Mortar\u00a0 <\/h2>\n\n\n
![\"Brick](\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27339\/bricknmortarstore.png)
<\/picture> <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n \n\n\n\n II. Brick and Mortar Vs. Online Shopping\u00a0 <\/h2>\n\n\n\n