The retailing landscape has changed so dramatically over the past few years that some well-entrenched retailers are looking out at a tough and complex future in which they must better adapt to prosper — or even survive.

Recently, Brad Stone and David Welch wrote a provocative article in Business entitled “The Future Retail Wasteland.” According to Stone and Welch: “All big-box stores, and Best Buy in particular, thrived in an era when comparison shopping meant physically going from store to store. The effort required of consumers was a kind of transactional friction. With the advent of mobile technology, friction has all but disappeared. Rather than ruminate with a salesperson before making a selection, tech-savvy consumers are more likely to walk into stores, eyeball products, scan barcodes with their smartphones, note cheaper prices online, and head for the exit. Shoppers can purchase virtually any product under the sun on Amazon or eBay while sipping a latte at Starbucks. For traditional retailers, that spells trouble, if not death.”

To read the full article, click the Best Buy photo.