By all estimates, e-commerce is booming. marketer estimates that retail e-commerce sales worldwide will increase at four times the rate of retail sales in 2017, taking a 10 percent share of total, and expects growth to stay in the double digits through 2021. Kantar Worldpanel estimates that grocery e-commerce is growing at 30 percent year on year with just under a 5 percent share of total sales.
Many Nigerians in the urban centres especially Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja and Kano are getting comfortable shopping and buying online. With an estimated 100 million Nigerians with access to the internet the Jumia, Deal Day and Kongas of this world would smile to the bank regularly than before.
But there are signs that e-commerce boom has its limits. Kantar Worldpanel reports that there are signs that e-commerce growth is slowing down in Europe although the story is the opposite in Africa and Nigeria in particular.
Many pure play e-commerce companies have decided that a physical presence is needed for them to grow further. As early as 2012 the men’s online retailer Bonobos began to open physical stores in order to tap the half of would-be customers who wanted to feel the clothes before buying.
And therein is the reason why retail will always be a blend of physical stores and e-commerce: the monkeys want more than just a product description and a good price. The challenge for existing retailers is to figure out which of the various motivations they can appeal to best. Here are three basic drivers that I believe will help bricks and mortar stores survive, provided they adapt the experience they offer rather than just focusing on prices.
Sensory: It is not just clothes that people want to try for size. As I noted in this post it is not easy to choose a cauliflower when you cannot see and feel the actual vegetable.
Social: Retail therapy just does not seem to be as effective when dabbing at a mobile phone screen. Part of the fun is shopping with friends and enjoying the experience as much as the purchases.
Service: Last but by no means least, direct interaction with a knowledgeable human will likely beat the bots. Best Buy’s free in-home consultations about what products might fit a potential customer’s needs have helped the company bounce back from Amazon’s onslaught.
I think the online stores are taking a leaf from the rule book of the telecos . For example in Nigeria, despite the online service facilities of the major telcos, the major business hubs are littered with additional service centre operated by MTN, Airtel , 9Mobile, and Glo. The message here is the same, the e-platform needs help in the service of the King our customers Same logic applies to Nigerian customers that would walk pass the ATM to withdraw N5,000 across the counter in a bank. But what do you think? Please share your thoughts. Would the brick and mortar in us ever die?
Michael Umogun ,Michael.Umogun@Kantarmillwardbrown.com + 234 802 311 7969