Irreplaceable Physical Retail Channels

                                        
It seems that more and more physical stores have closed over the past few years. Under the impact of e-commerce, the survival of physical stores has raised concerns. 
 
As a matter of fact, physical stores will be one of the mainstream retail channels that would not be replaced by e-commerce.  


To start with, compared to the manufacturing and service industries, the replacement and revolution of the retail industry are relatively slower. Before the rise of online shopping, it takes over a century for retail stores to develop themselves. 
 
It must be acknowledged that online shopping has become a part of modern retail but in fact, its market shares in the future are not so easy to predict. However, according to some researches, physical stores have occupied over 80% of the market shares as of the year 2020.


Secondly, due to fact that consumers tend to touch and access the products within a short distance, the shopping experience on-site is important. As a result, the future of physical stores is still prosperous.
 
From the perspective of convenience, physical stores still have absolute advantages, which cannot be replaced by online stores. 


Thirdly, the trend of multiple channel development has been a consensus by the retail industry. A combination of online and offline channels also represents the significance of physical stores. 
 
Fourthly, the rental cost of the online and physical stores is the key factor. When the changes in the store environment and logistics appear, physical stores are expected to reduce their costs and improve sales finally.