Bricks and Mortar vs Online Shopping

Bricks and Mortar Advantages

  • Tailored, Personalized Approach:

    • Bricks and mortar stores can offer a tailored, personalized approach to suit unique customer needs.
    • Example: Getting expert wine advice for a dinner with the boss.

  • Expert Advice:

    • Human touch and understanding provides expert advice, especially when the customer doesn't know what they need.
    • Example: Buying an oven and wanting "juicy meats with a crust."
    • Sales staff can help understand needs and inform choices.

  • Expanding Choices:

    • Sales staff can inform your choices and massively expand them.
    • People might have a need (holes) instead of a defined solution (drill bits), so physical stores let you sell alternative solutions.

  • Support Local Economies:

    • Physical stores support local jobs and economies, not international conglomerates.
    • Example: Foodland at Fruville rejecting self-checkouts to preserve local jobs.

  • Entertainment:

    • Shopping in physical stores can be fun and entertaining.

Online Advantages

  • Emulating Human Touch:

    • The human touch can be emulated online through live chats with real people.
    • Facebook and other platforms are introducing bots to answer common questions.

  • Customer Preference for Automation:

    • 50%50\%, "50 percent" of supermarket shoppers prefer to use self-checkout when available.

  • Consistent Service:

    • Robots don't get annoyed or frustrated; they are always patient.
    • You always get the same level and quality of service every time.