Guest Post by Patrick Thuot, Vice-President of Storetraffic

The Internet has made a huge impact on everyone’s life; that is not an exaggeration. Over the last number of years we can safely say that the Internet and related technology have changed our daily lives; it has changed how we interact, how we work ,and how we live.

It’s also a basic fact that it has changed the face of retail forever. Today, it is possible to live in the USA and order something online from a store based in any other part of the world, as long as you have an Internet connection. It is possible anywhere. That is truly amazing but also worrying for a traditional brick and mortar retailer.

Yes they can choose to join the party by moving online while keeping their online presence, but it unfortunately not as simple as it sounds. Issues such as logistics, warehousing, and extra staff and so much more need to be considered when moving online.

So what is a traditional retailer to do? They cannot simply ignore technology but they need to educate themselves about how they can incorporate it into their business for the future in order to reinforce their prospects.

This infographic from Storetraffic highlights some interesting data about the impact of the Internet on brick and mortar retailers; it indicates how offline retailers can use the Internet to further their growth; it examines the effect of IoT on retail and lots more. Check it all out below.