Retail e-commerce increased 14.6% from 2014 to 2015, and accounts for only 7.3% of total retail sales.
Total retail sales increased 1.4% from 2014 to 2015, which means brick/mortar sales increased less than 1.4 when you take out the e-commerce share%, which means brick/mortar actually shrunk relative to inflation (inflation running in the 4% range, according to Shadowstats).
Map of same day delivery service in major metropolitan areas offered by Amazon.
Some quick conclusions:
- Regardless if whether you sell in brick/mortar, you need a strategy and infrastructure to sell online to take advantage of the growth;
- You want to position for same day delivery as this segment grows (another reason why you need a strategy and infrastructure for online sales)
- If you move or grow in brick/mortar, you are likely replacing someone else, which makes it very competitive;
- Brick/mortar still commands the majority of retail sales, so you want to be here, but realize it will take time and likely reduced profitability relative to online in the short-term to make this channel work.
See data points below:
U.S. Dept. of Commerce E-commerce Sales Data – 2015
