67 Fascinating Facts About Ecommerce vs. Brick and Mortar (Infographic) There are pros and cons to both.
By Rose Leadem
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
While many people believe brick-and-mortar shops are doomed in today's tech-driven world, there are still a number of people who prefer this hands-on method over shopping online. In fact, offline sales are 10 times bigger than online sales in the U.S. But online shopping is growing at a significant rate. Researchers predicted a 15 percent growth in U.S. sales and total value for online shopping between 2016 and 2017, while offline only saw a 4.5 percent increase.
Related: 4 Online Marketing Tactics Brick-and-Mortar Stores Can Leverage to Thrive
There are almost as many people who prefer to shop in stores rather than online -- with 51 percent of Americans preferring ecommerce, and 49 percent preferring heading into an actual store. However, a larger portion of millennials (67 percent) prefer shopping online over offline.
The top reasons people like to shop online are being able to shop 24/7, compare prices, find sales and have a greater variety of options. Of course, for many, nothing beats in-store shopping, which offers people the ability to see an item before buying, avoid paying shipping costs and being able to talk to a sales representative.
Related: How Retailers Are Thriving Despite the Supposed Death of Their Industry
To learn more, check out Shopping.fm's infographic below.
