The advent and proliferation of the Internet has caused absolute and monumental changes in the world we live in; this change that the Internet has brought has been witnessed all around us – both in business and in our day to day lives. It has revolutionized retail; customers can now buy anything they want on their computers in any part of the world. It has also provided data to store owners that previously they wouldn’t have had access to.

Many would believe that the Internet has harmed the world of brick and mortar retail, but this is untrue and is irresponsible of an offline retailer should they have this particular way of thinking. The Internet has opened up so many avenues in terms of study and research and analytics that can be applied to practically any business online and offline.

We have seen the explosion of social media platforms and networking and many businesses use this to great impact on their return on investment. The advent of the Internet of Things while still in its infancy for many holds a lot of potential in terms of engagement with customers and the learning about behavior and attitudes is exciting.

It’s up to retail store owners to embrace the opportunities of the Internet and make it work for their businesses. They should not fear the Internet or see it as a competitor to their success. They should learn about how it can be used to emphasize their business’ strengths and offering for their customers. If a brick and mortar store struggles with their customer service, the Internet can assist them to improve this. Improved customer service while time consuming, can only help a business to forge ahead.

This infographic from Storetraffic highlights why offline (brick and mortar) stores still need to have an Internet strategy; it highlights some interesting statistics; it indicates areas where retailers should focus on in order to help their business and lots more. Check it out below!