With online shopping growing every year, you might wonder if a brick-and-mortar store is still worth it.
E-commerce accounted for 17.1% of U.S. retail sales in the second quarter of 2026, and online sales grew 12.2% from the previous year. That still leaves more than 80% of sales happening offline, mostly in physical stores. Shoppers keep coming back for an experience they can't get online.
We’re not suggesting you skip e-commerce. We just want you to have all the facts. Below, we cover the pros and cons of each, why a hybrid approach works for most retailers, and the technology you need to make it happen.
From convenience stores and grocery stores to liquor stores, tobacco shops, and boutiques, physical stores still bring in most retail sales. Here’s what they do well and where they fall short.
In-person shopping gives customers a few things a website can't:
Those face-to-face moments build the kind of loyalty that keeps regulars coming back.
Running a physical store also comes with real challenges:
Many of these gaps are exactly where online sales can help.
Whether you sell through your own website, a marketplace like Amazon, or a delivery app, online retailers benefit from lower operating costs and can offer customers flexible delivery options and a wider selection. Here’s how selling online stacks up.
Selling online gives customers flexibility a physical store can't match:
That's why so many shoppers start their search online, even when they plan to buy in person.
Selling online has its own set of headaches:
These are the areas where a physical store has the edge.
The lines between brick-and-mortar and e-commerce keep blurring. 91% of consumers already shop with retailers in more than one way, so most physical stores need an online presence to stay relevant.
Omnichannel retail connects your store and your online sales so customers can shop however they like. They might browse your website, compare prices, and place an order, then pick it up in store through buy online, pickup in store (BOPIS). That flexibility lets you serve every kind of shopper, from busy professionals who want to order ahead to longtime regulars who’d rather come in and chat.
Going hybrid doesn’t mean you have to ship across the country, either. Pick the options that fit your store and your customers:
Not sure where to begin? Check your point of sale (POS) sales data to see who shops with you and how. Then start small, with a limited online selection or pickup only, and add more as you learn what your customers want.
Related Read: 5 Ways To Build Your Small Business’ Online Presence
Even if most of your sales happen at the counter, the numbers make a strong case for selling online, too.
Pickup orders get customers in the door, and once they're inside, your store does the work. Use your layout to encourage impulse buys, bundle related products, and create experiences shoppers can't get online. Returns of online orders bring people in, too.
Omnichannel sales give you real-time data on shopping trends. Link it to your inventory data to keep popular products in stock, track customer preferences, and suggest related items they can buy online or in store.
Customers expect a consistent brand experience everywhere they shop. Use email and social media to send rewards, coupons, and gift cards they can spend in your store. Connected customer profiles make this easier. When online and in-store purchase history lives in one place, you can send targeted offers, like a deal on craft beer for customers who bought it in the last two weeks.
Amazon and Walmart have spent years making shopping easy on every channel. The easier you make it to shop with you, the more likely customers are to choose a local business over a big brand.
Offering more ways to shop only helps if your systems keep up. When your website and register don’t talk to each other, you end up rekeying orders, overselling stock, and apologizing to customers. A POS system that connects directly to your online store ties it all together.
Imagine a customer asks for a snack they saw on your website, but no one can tell if it's in stock. That's a lost sale. Real-time inventory sync fixes that. Every in-store sale, online order, and pickup updates the same count, so your website matches your shelves and staff can check stock at any location.
Running your register, website, and vendor orders on separate tools means double entry and mismatched numbers. With one system, you update a price once, pull one set of reports, manage vendors in the same place you sell, and train staff on a single platform.
Related Read: Follow These Retail Inventory Management Best Practices To Boost Cash Flow
Generic e-commerce tools weren’t built for specialty retail. Look for a system that handles:
At a wine shop with connected systems, a regular can place a big online delivery order and apply the loyalty points they earned in store. Pricing, promotions, and rewards should work the same way on every channel.
Online orders spike at lunch, after work, and right before closing. Use your sales reports to schedule staff for those peaks, set up a dedicated pickup area, and let customers pay online so the handoff takes seconds. Train employees on each step, from receiving an order to packing it and handling returns. Automatic order-ready texts or emails keep customers from showing up early and crowding the counter.
When in-store and online sales run through the same system, you get one set of numbers instead of two spreadsheets that never match. Combined reporting shows which products sell where, which promotions work, and when to adjust staffing or stock.
For example, if a grocery store's prepared meals sell out online by noon but sit on the in-store shelf until closing, the owner can spot it right away and shift stock or run a late-afternoon discount. Look for reports that break down sales by channel, location, and time of day, so your reorders reflect what every channel sells, not just the register.
Physical stores win on service, trust, and the chance to see and touch products. Online stores win on convenience and reach. For most independent retailers, the best bet is to combine them and give customers more ways to buy.
The right POS system makes that manageable. Look for one built for your industry that syncs inventory across channels, keeps loyalty and promotions consistent, and handles the details of how you sell, from age verification to weight-based pricing. With everything connected, you spend less time on busywork and more time with customers.
Ready to see what that looks like for your store? Schedule a demo today.