Comments on: Has the Net Killed Brick and Mortar Retailing?

By: Marketguy

Marketguy — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 06:10:54 +0000

DO Domainer has it right! Web site owners love to tell everyone who will listen how their small web site is somehow changing the face of modern retail. Most of these people have no understanding how retail works and more important have no experience in retail. Statement like “When people can find identical products online at 1/2 the price they can get it at their local store, the local store can’t compete unless they find a nitch” are made from people who haven’t a clue about retail operations. There is always someone selling a product somewhere for 1/2 price and that will never change. Retail is more then just product and price.

By: Joey

Joey — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:18:32 +0000

Did we forget what income level we are speaking about. The lower, upper lower & lower middle class are being hit really hard by economic slump and they are sticking to there local shops buying. And the local shops are also decreasing there prices they feel the heat from there vendors that keep going up in prices because import tax duties from the government. Being online as we are http://www.dollardealshopping.com. has it’s advantages as we are a discount brick & mortar store. We offer customers the luxury of buying at super discount prices and even cheaper if they buy in 2′s or 4′s of the same item which they won’t get at a best buy or staples. It’s like wholesale at the discount retail level. This is a niche that is not being push by other online retailers which will increase sale’s.

By: MHB

MHB — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 21:22:54 +0000

I think you are greatly under estimating the effect the Web had on retailers.

When people can find identical products online at 1/2 the price they can get it at their local store, the local store can’t compete unless they find a nitch.

By: DO Domainer

DO Domainer — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 18:16:56 +0000

this article is as silly and shortsighted as the retailers that are closing up shop.

my retail business is doing just fine. thats because i didn’t open too many locations without planning and get greedy thinking the real estate bubble would last forever. short sightedness is the reason B&Ms like Linens & Things and Circuit City are closing up shops, not the Web. In fact, CC and BigBox retailers have the cash to blow little websites off the map if they wanted to. Again they are just shortsighted and working with old formulas. When they catch up with the rest of us, your “$7 website” will be lost in the wave of cash and resources that the big boys have.

Web only business have to stay ahead of the curve, that’s the only way they will stay ahead of bigger retailers like Linens and Things. L&T may be gone, but it’s not because of the Web, it’s in spite of it. L&T killed themselves. We barely even helped push them off the ledge.

By: Rob Sequin

Rob Sequin — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 16:08:37 +0000

I’ve always had this idea for a “We sell nothing store” and now maybe the time to explore it.

Members only big box type store with just a few samples of EVERY product. No inventory. Members get to handle and test all products and “salesmen” tell you what’s good and what sucks.

The “check out” are computers with cashiers who buy the stuff for you online (via an affiliate link of course) then the product is shipped to your house.

So, no inventory, little bookkeeping, no deliveries… just membership fees and affiliate income.

Good idea?

By: Scott

Scott — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 16:05:21 +0000

I agree with Rob, we are seeing a lot of people who prefer to come in to our bricks and mortar shop to look, feel and buy.
Online will also do well and with so much choice you need to have your ‘sticky’ to entice those to buy and come back again.
The current recession is doing what all recessions do, sorting out the bad from the good.

By: CommerceE

CommerceE — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 15:19:55 +0000

Nice article. LuxuryBedding is a very nice name, another great example of a generic domain name with a storefront. That’s exactly the business that I am in – affiliate marketing. Taking Generic domains and developing them. Gives the BrickandMortars a lot of competition while they have to spend more to maintain their trademarks.

The net gives the Mom and Pop shop a dynamic place to do business. A recession is a great time to invest in domain names and new ideas for business opportunities. But it helps if you have the capital to invest. That’s another weakness that a lot of others fail to do. While those with the capacity and knowledge of investing in domains will continue to flourish because they have stayed in the domain game even when the market was bad. This is because when the economy turns good those late to the game will be left behind and become forced to pay a premium for a great domain.

By: Tim Davids

Tim Davids — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 15:14:26 +0000

the pendulum will swing and service not price will be the deciding factor…when someone sells sheets for a 5 percent, then a 2 percent markup what’s left?

Customers will go where they can talk to a real person, not have to struggle to return it if they don’t like it and know its in stock and not coming in 3 weeks.

I don’t like buying “things” online but all my hotel rooms and air tickets have been bought online for years…

Good subject mike.

By: Rob Sequin

Rob Sequin — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 14:40:50 +0000

Bricks and motar retail selling crap clothes and crap decorations will close. Stores selling commodity type items that can be found on the net will have a hard time competing with the Internet.

I think the stores that will do well will be stores where people like to touch items or sell stuff that people need right away.

We as consumers will have to drive further or find other places to shop as some of our favorite stores and restaurants will close.

I am seeing a pick up in sales to end users. I think small and medium businesses are looking for new customers and that means online. It does not mean taking a bigger ad in the newspaper or yellow pages.

So, they are seeing good, local geo + industry .com domains to be a way to have a better presence online.

Hang in there everybody, the domain industry will be one of the few bright spots for 2009 and businesses will come to us.

By: RegFeeNames.com

RegFeeNames.com — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 11:22:40 +0000

Bricks and mortor stores shall surrive in there own niche areas.

We shall see many traditional stores close but we shall also see other organisations expand.

The internet is the way forward and more and more people do shop online but lets face it most people like to pop out to the shops to kill time and get the house so we shall never see an end to these stores but lets hope we see more traditional companies look at other avenues i.e. the web and lets hope they learn about direct navigation and keyword domains.

This shall help all of us to sell our great domain assets and grow our industry.

Well these are my thoughts.

Regards,

Robbie