Nearly half of online orders required a real-life store to happen
Online shopping was supposed to lead to the death of physical stores but now it might be its savior. About 42% of e-commerce orders involved stores in 2023, according to reporting by the Wall Street Journal, as companies use stores for returns, shipping hubs and showrooms. That’s up from 27% in 2015. Indeed retailers are set to open more stores than they close this year.
