The internet has given consumers a way to perform a variety of daily tasks, and this include shopping. More customers are taking to the web to purchase products and services from businesses, leaving many experts to believe that brick-and-mortar retail locations could be dwindling in popularity. However, it seems as though this may not be the case.

The New York Times reports that among the abundance of internet-only retailers, there are many that are considering venturing into the physical world and opening up brick-and-mortar stores. These merchants are seeing a large amount of business on the web, but they believe that having a storefront will help them better serve their customers and establish more credibility. The news source spoke with the owner of web-only merchant Bonobos, Andy Dunn. Dunn stated that after he realized that many of his online shoppers preferred to feel and try on the clothes he offered, he decided to open a brick-and-mortar location.

Big name internet retailers are even getting in on the trend, as both EBay and Etsy are currently testing storefronts in several cities. The source writes that many businesses are doing this as their customers look at shopping as a social event and want to look at and try out products firsthand.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Thursday, December 27th, 2012 at 11:15 am .