The Census Bureau just released data showing that online retail sales surged 15.2 percent between the first quarter of 2015 and the first quarter of 2016.

But that can be misleading. A surge off the back of a small number can just be another small number.

More important is the fact that 20 years after the internet was opened to commerce, the US Census Bureau tells us that brick and mortar sales accounted for 92.3 percent of retail sales in the first quarter of 2016.

The retail industry is getting “reinvented” but not how you think. It’s all about the blend of digital and non-digital. Retailers know this, it’s just getting it right is hard.

A recent study graded more than 600 Internet retailers on how easy it was for consumers to shop, buy, and pay. Almost half of the sites didn’t get a passing grade and only 18 percent got an A or B.

 

Posted in: Digital Training