GettySince the Commerce Department reported February retail sales this week, various news outlets have suggested that online sales have reached a major “tipping point” and have become “king” in the “retail apocalypse,” overtaking brick-and-mortar sales at general-merchandise retailers. Meanwhile, general-merchandise retailers—encompassing sales from lagging department stores as well as supercenters and warehouse clubs—are themselves far from representing the total retail industry. The rest of the retail sales include those from grocery stores, home-improvement retailers, electronics chains and clothing merchants, the Commerce Department data shows. But a brick-and-mortar retail apocalypse is simply not happening, and there is plenty of proof. It’s another thing to expect online, still a relatively small percentage of the total, to ever eclipse physical retail shopping.

Source: Forbes April 03, 2019 20:15 UTC