Online sales are surging and the retailers winning are those leveraging physical locations to offer options for digital customers. But for all the successes there are just as many, or more, failures.
Which is why the tale of “seeking a single vase” is the best story I’ve read in ages. It’s a comedy. It’s a tragedy. It’s a cautionary tale of what can go horribly wrong.
It also makes me incredibly optimistic about the future of retail. Stay with me.
Retail sales this past holiday season grew 4.1% compared 2018, according to the National Retail Federation. Online (and other non-store sales) jumped 14.6% to $167.8 billion, on top of an 11.5% increase in 2018 and $146.8 billion in online sales during that period, according to the group.
And the retailers considered best positioned to serve the customer and win over these sales, are those leveraging physical footprints to fill orders and offer a range of delivery and pick up options. Amazon and Walmart have yet to report holiday results, but Target saw digital sales increase 19%, thanks in part to Buy Online and Pickup In Store (BOPIS).
Find more of the best retail news story you’ll read all week on the Forbes.com website HERE
