For centuries, people have been buying their goods by taking trips into town with lists of what they need. They collect those goods by hand, and cart them to the check out where they would offer currency as tender and leave with the goods. The same process occurs online; only in this case, the shopper never has to leave their house.

Yes, you could buy everything you could possibly need online, but there are downsides and consequences to being a purely ‘click’ buyer. First of all, you cannot get a freshly brewed cup of coffee, the smell of the florist’s shop, or the rush of true window shopping from sitting like a lump in your desk chair. Yes, you could buy coffee in bulk, have flowers delivered to your house, and even spend several hours straight browsing the inventory at your favorite online retailer, but where is the human interaction? Also, many times the prices you find online for goods in your local store will differ from the actual store price- so taking a trip to the store might be worth it.

The purely ‘brick’ buyer faces some cons and annoyances as well. If you shop online in the store, you can miss out on online only specials that can save you money on purchases you make regularly. Also, sometimes shipping can cost less than the cost of the gasoline to get you there. Who doesn’t like shopping in their pajamas? Many people love the convenience of being able to shop for all their Christmas presents while wearing their favorite pair of footie pajamas.

So, what does the ‘brick’ need to do to even the numbers with the ‘click’? Why not put the brick and mortar store online? One store in two places equals twice the business.

This war is a long and deathly one, but it doesn’t seem to have an end…yet.