The other day my wife and I were browsing at a hardware store, as she was looking for a travel adapter that she would need for an upcoming work trip. When we found one, she suggested that I also look for it on the shopping app on my phone, just to compare prices.
Since my phone isn’t glued to my hand, and being too lazy to fumble around for it, open the app, and run a search, I told her that the price difference shouldn’t be that big and we should just get it from the store so we can also give it a chance to survive.
Fortunately for the store, which wasn’t even truly local because it was actually nationwide chain in a mall, she agreed with me and we bought the travel adapter right then and there, even if it was pretty obvious that if we weren’t rushing, we surely could’ve found something better and cheaper online, since there was only one model of what we needed available there.
That little conversation made me think about the fate of local shops, especially as online shopping becomes more and more accepted. Are they in danger of becoming extinct, especially as access to shopping apps becomes more widespread, last mile delivery services improve, payment systems are accepted, and mechanisms for disputes and returns are made even more convenient? Is it something that we want to happen or are we going to want to help them survive?
Will we have to make a conscious choice to come face to face with humans to buy from brick and mortar stores, or will they find a way to adapt and survive the onslaught of online shopping? If you come to think of it, what is better for us consumers in the end anyway?
Internet shopping has made everything so easy these days. Almost anything we need or want can be found on the internet. After a few swipes and taps on our smartphones, whatever we shop for can usually be delivered to our homes within a couple of days, or within two weeks, even if it is from the other side of the world.
On the other hand, there are the real-world shops that have to contend with the rise and dominance of online shopping. These are places where we can actually touch and feel the products before buying, instead of just reading the specifications or looking at photos and videos on your smartphone. For those who are into it, those are places where we can even have human interactions, not only with the employees, but in random encounters with similarly-minded friends and acquaintances.
I may have been joking to my wife when I said we should buy from the store instead of online because choosing to give them our business will help them survive, but if you come to think of it, it is difficult to imagine a world with fewer stores because everything is already available online. Maintaining a brick and mortar shop is already tough enough when competing with the same class, but going against an online behemoth that has a wider array of choices, lower operating costs, and is always available 24/7 can be daunting for anyone who is thinking of putting up a store that sells stuff that can just be bought online these days.
What will a shopping mall of the future look like if too many stores have closed down because they can no longer compete with online shopping? I’m sure the business community will find a way to adapt and survive, but it is interesting to be witnessing the world change in so many ways, right before our eyes.
If you come to think of it, it is not our duty as customers to try and keep these stores alive, because there is no way we can singlehandedly do that, even if we force ourselves to buy something from them once a week. Adapting, surviving, and thriving in this brave new world is ultimately up to the business owner and we should see a shift in the way physical storefronts are operated, especially as they contend with the online threats that can deliver all sorts of goods to and from the further reaches of the planet.
Whatever it is they end up doing, the landlords and tenants will need to work together as they face the online onslaught. The brick and mortar shopping experience is changing, as the word ‘shopping’ could eventually disappear and the focus could shift to the experiences that they can offer, because those cannot be bought online, at least for now.
As for the customers and consumers, what we choose to support will determine which way the future of shopping, and our communities in general, will end up in the near future.*
