Despite Store Restrictions Throughout 2020, Brick-and-Mortar Looks to Be Important Next Year

The focus of retail for most of 2020 was on the growth of e-commerce and omnichannel capabilities, but new data suggests that brick-and-mortar will make a comeback in 2021. In a survey of almost 1,000 consumers, design collaborative company Bergmeyer found that consumers are expecting to return to stores – but they have a few key changes they want to see in order to shop in person again. “There is no question that there have been monumental changes when it comes to shopping behavior,” read the Bergmeyer report. “For example, the massive shift to online shopping and buying (due to stores being closed) is significant and real. But the question is whether it’s permanent? Or will we return to pre-COVID behaviors, having the confidence to re-emerge and return to our favorite stores with the same enthusiasm we previously had?” Prior to the pandemic, e-commerce had been growing, with 20% of respondents shopping only online. But the majority still either shopped both in-store and online (40%), or exclusively in-store (30%). For apparel retailers, brick-and-mortar is particularly important; it was the second most popular in-store category (30%), after groceries (50%). This is likely tied to the biggest drivers of brick-and-mortar: touch and feel, and

Follow Footwear News on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

from Footwear NewsFootwear News https://ift.tt/2JwIHaM