New research says future of e-commerce is offline

By

Cajsa Lykke Carlson

Published
Feb 10, 2016

It may seem contrary to say that the future of e-commerce is offline, but that is exactly the conclusion software company GoSpotCheck has come to in a new report, "The Future of E-commerce."

The report states that many online-only stores are now migrating offline, as physical stores remain a cornerstone of the retail experience. As many as 70% of consumers research goods online before shopping at a store and 25% use their phones while they're in stores, figures that underline just how much on-and-offline shopping is merging.

GoSpotCheck says retailers, distributors and brands should utilise showrooms to help sales. As an example, it gives eyewear company Warby Parker, which has just 10% of sales occurring offline - but that percentage leads to customer retention and online sales.

Brick-and-mortar stores also allow brands to personalise the customer experience in a way that it's not possible to do online. GoSpotCheck believes that e-commerce stores will still maintain an online presence, but augment this with physical locations. It concludes that retailers should also optimize their physical stores for online use, by initiatives like using promo codes in stores to track online sales and referrals.

"The combination of e-commerce and brick and mortar means that offline sales are more important than ever, and companies need to make sure to leverage this connection. The transition of e-commerce to brick and mortar validates the need for physical storefronts," said GoSpotCheck.