Farrah Bakhtiari

Professor Rachel Zacharia

MKTG G135

Fall 2024 Semester

Brick & Mortar Retail Analysis Paper

Introduction

The type of retailer I chose to be the center of my analysis paper are brick and mortar

retailers. Brick and mortar retailers are businesses that sell products or services to clients and

customers in a physical location. They are referred to as traditional businesses that allow

customers to browse and shop their selections (Murphy 2024). In an advanced world where

e-commerce and online retailers have taken over the retail areas, it is important to highlight the

importance of having traditional brick and mortar retailers. Brick and mortar retail stores are

what we all grew up with, way before e-commerce businesses and online shopping took over. I

think this topic is important to appreciate where physical retail stores peaked and how stable they

are now and what is the future of the stores we visited and loved. Are they declining? Is there

hope for them and as well as how can they turn things around to not be obliterated by online

retailers. The shopping experience brick and mortar businesses bring cannot be replicated. It is

no secret that retailing has changed immensely from the 1900's, even the last decade has had

emergent changes (Lumen Learning). The more we look into brick and mortars high and lows,

we can understand the history of this type of retailer and gain a better understanding where the

future of brick and mortar businesses are heading. And the future of these retailers are not only

for the sake of consumers, but to the millions of jobs they create as well. Some think

e-commerce businesses like Amazon are soon going to be the new face of businesses, with brick

and mortar businesses ceasing to exist. I disagree with those views, as these physical locations

are how people were raised to shop. The bread and butter of the economy cannot be diluted and
be taken down. They are a vital asset to all consumers and communities alike for what they give

and bring to the public.

Analysis

The main idea of having these physical retail stores is to offer a great customer

experience while allowing consumers to purchase the products they want in any amount and at

the moment. No shipping fees, no waiting for restocks, and no need to wait weeks for your

product to deliver. These businesses offer the experience of coming into a store to find what you

need, even getting to take in advantages like sales promotions in store. There is no online

commerce that allows customers to reach through the screen to check out the newest products.

There is also no better feeling than wanting a product so bad and being able to bring it home

yourself on the same day. These are experiences that are lost in translations when you click a

button to place an order. I call this blind ordering, because you just have to take a leap of faith

that this item works for you. There are also sales associates that can help guide consumers in real

time and answer questions and then show an advanced selection of similar or comparable

products. All these experiences cannot be replicated online.

For as long as history can remember, there have always been shops that served as a one

stop shop for everything locals needed. With the evolution of retail, businesses were threatened

when e-commerce was introduced. E-commerce may seem to be easier at times, but that did not

mean that brick and mortar businesses were dead (Marhamat). If anything, it has given brick and

mortar stores even more reason to evolve and keep up with how times are changing. I think some

new ways that physical stores have kept up with how consumers shop is offer mobile order pick

up and curbside pickup. Target, a retail giant, has implemented these new ways for shoppers who
are short on time and can shop online and pickup in store. I have personally found that even

when I do store pickup, I end up buying more items on my way to the online order pickup

counter. When I am even more in a rush, I can do curbside pickup and now Target is doing

curbside returns as well. Superstores like Walmart have implemented these similar techniques

and have also implemented online ship to store and other omni channels to stay at the top of the

retailer food chains. Other retailers like IKEA offer to send professionals to your home to set up

whatever furniture or materials that need additional help to put together. This also motivates

people to shop in stores and pick out whatever they want without fear of how to put things

together. Beauty retailers like Sephora and Macy’s also have regular in store beauty events that

entice foot traffic in-store, something that online retailers can give. At these events there are

plenty of promotions like gifts with purchases and live demos of products. These are some of the

many ways retailers can keep up with the change of times and how people choose to shop.

There are a few other ways brick and mortar retailers can reinvent themselves and stay

relevant. By designing intricate events and promotions held in stores can attract foot traffic

through their doors which will turn up the sales. Retrieving accurate customer data and seeing

shopping habits and products that are viral and sought out will keep businesses in check. Seeing

new techniques go into play and how consumers react to new changes allows retailers to adjust

anything that is needed to. This all contributes to businesses knowing and understanding what

customers want. Turning to new and improved shopping ways like ship from store and new ways

to checkout will bring better experiences to the consumer and allow them a chance to see the

new routines and make them want to come back. These are all tactics retailers can take into

consideration to reinvent themselves to stay relevant in a world of new age technology.

By keeping track of all the new ways physical business retailers can stay relevant and on

top, there is no saying that they will lead us into the future. Due to COVID-19, retailers are

facing a new incline path of business. It was hard for businesses to get by during that pandemic

of course, but now that things are safer and more stable, businesses are coming back together

better than ever and giving people the traditional experiences they missed before the world went

through a shutdown. Also, conrinuously striving to give businesses the best experiences when

they visit your store will not only bring foot traffic into your store but will create a frequent store

visitor as well as just serving the customer as a one time sale. By observing the incline and

declines of brick and mortar stores, how they can reinvent themselves, and where they stand in

comparison e-commerce businesses, we can be sure to see brick and mortar businesses stay in for

the long haul.

Beyond the click: Why brick and mortar stores still matter in the age of direct-to-consumer

retailing. Fohlio Home. (n.d.).

https://www.fohlio.com/blog/beyond-the-click-why-brick-and-mortar-stores-still-matter-in

-the-age-of-direct-to-consumer-retailing#:~:text=Instant%20Gratification&text=This%20is

%20particularly%20relevant%20for,a%20powerful%20motivator%20for%20consumers.

Marhamat, B. (2024, August 13). Council post: The history of brick-and-mortar retail and

what’s in store for the future. Forbes.

https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinessdevelopmentcouncil/2022/08/16/the-histor

y-of-brick-and-mortar-retail-and-whats-in-store-for-the-future/

Murphy, C. B. (n.d.). Brick-and-mortar stores: Types, advantages, and disadvantages.

Investopedia.

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/brickandmortar.asp#:~:text=%22Brick%2Dand%2

Dmortar%22,compete%20with%20online%2Donly%20firms.

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June 18). https://lumenlearning.com/courses/retail-management/