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[Jubenhimer]

You hear analysis and tech savvy people say it all the time. Stores/Restaurants/Movie Theaters/etc. are dying, Our internet overlords are the future. And while nobody can deny the success of companies like Amazon or Netflix, I feel like people are still stuck in their "new and shiny" phase whenever new conveniences are introduced. Sure, loading up a Movie to Stream on Netflix, or ordering something on Amazon will always have ease of use at their disposal. But all these things lack one key ingredient, a social element. When you walk into a store, you walk into a building that has a bunch of others there for the same reason, to buy something, or look at thing they can buy. You might meet up with a friend, ask an employee, or just enjoy being in company with other people. Humans are biologically social people, so there will always be a desire to spend time with family and friends on a night out, and brick and mortar places like stores and Movie theaters will always have that in their favor. In the case of stores, another benefit is that you can look at the product in person first, before deciding to buy it, and once you do, you have it immediately, and don't have to wait a day or two to arrive at your door.

We can see in the success of places like Wal-Mart and Best Buy that people still do like physical brick and mortar stores in addition to their online shopping. I don't think anybody seriously believes that all stores/restaruants/movie theaters will just go extinct, because then they'd be asking for a future where we're all just fat isolated shut-ins with no desire or need to leave their house like a distopian Wall-E Future. I don't think anybody wants that at all. Of course, whenever a store or chain is declining, people will always blame the internet alternative, and while that does play a small part, its an oversimplification of often times much larger problems. Blockbuster didn't die because of the Internet, they died because they failed to provide a service that both addressed the rise of streaming, and helped differentiate them from the online alternative.

Do you think Brick and Mortar can co-exist equally with online shopping, or am I being too optimistic?

 

[cormack12]

They can but it would need a change on how things work in my opinion. There is a latency with delivery from online sellers where you can go to a store and pick something up that evening. If retail goes, the market will adjust how competitive it is without an alternative. Suddenly all those free shipping incentives will disappear because there is no other option. Same as with returns. It suits the market at the minute to offer these things, but people will be mightily disappointed if they think this will stay the norm as retail dwindles.

Retail struggles because it's not always evident what is in stock and what price. I was in the market for VR and was considering Oculus. Went into local Tesco, the PSVR starter kit was there, reduced to £129.99 - that was a no brainer. Even on Amazon Prime it was more expensive. Online has 'exclusive online deals' all the time. Stores need to have exclusive items as well.

Also, as we move towards digital consumption, fidelity and storage will rise. You can buy a blu ray or wait for it to download. EVen the 4k content makes compromises on video rates, that is evident when you see the physical copies.

 

[triplestation]

Yeah it can I think. Of course it can. At least for products that are needed more immediately. People like to go try on clothes real time before purchasing.

I think people generally like the social aspect of the movies, too. I'm not that worried. People like fun.

Netflix will remain in its place. I don't think blockbusters and new releases will go straight to it. Movies are culturally social events and will remain that way.

 

[JareBear: Remastered]

Yeah it can I think. Of course it can. At least for products that are needed more immediately. People like to go try on clothes real time before purchasing.

I think people generally like the social aspect of the movies, too. I'm not that worried. People like fun.

Netflix will remain in its place. I don't think blockbusters and new releases will go straight to it. Movies are culturally social events and will remain that way.

Exactly.

When I see the thread title my first thought was “don’t they already co-exist?”

Even with same day delivery on some products becoming more of a thing as time goes on I don’t see the need for physical storefronts to ever competely fade away

 

[yeahokaywhatever]

They do when it's niche stores. Chicago has way too many record stores. A few have come and gone but they are still going strong. Same with books and physical media (dvds, blu-rays, video games) but then again this is for anime/b-movies/cult/horror/exploitation films and vintage and modern video games. But if it's easily available online, people tend to prefer the latter.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Yes they can. Observe how the boardgame/tabletop hobby evolved in tandem with videogaming. Plenty of boardgame stores have failed, of course, but as the hobby grew the presence of the FLGS (friendly local game store) became more prominent. Even though online shopping is available, a lot of hobbyists still choose to patronize local shops because they offer a place a play, a welcoming environment, knowledgable staffers, a way to order games that aren't available in-store, loyalty discounts that don't require a yearly subscription, etc.

Videogame stores like Gamestop are going out of business by doing the opposite of all those things.

The true "brick and mortar" game store would actually be the arcade, but we don't have those anymore. Maybe game stores should offer adjacent gaming cafes or more demo stations in the store. Online retail will be the cheaper, easier way to acquire a product in virtually all instances, so the game store has to offer something more.

I know this topic is more generally about retail storefronts vs online, but I feel as though we can glean some information by seeing how the boardgame hobby and videogame hobby have both dealt (or failed to deal) with the shift to online purchasing.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

yes it will exist forever tbh.

people always say this when a new technology comes out. "Will radio replace the newspapers?" "Will tv replace books?" "Will movies replace theater?" "Will videogames replace board games?"

time and time again the answer is "nope". those old, tactile mediums continue to exist. what's more people will always seek out true craftsmanship in the face of mass production. enthusiasts will be drawn to those outdated forms.

people can download movies and watch them on their computers, yet people still go to movie theaters. people can play Pac Man or Mortal Kombat X on their phone, yet there are still arcades, barcades, etc. where people go to have a tactile experience. there are things you cannot synthesize through purely digital means. tbh i don't think this will EVER not be the case.

 

[dorkimoe]

Best Buy has honestly done a great job of updating their stores to be more relavent, they also price match amazon and their instore pickup is nice.

 

[Jubenhimer]

Videogame stores like Gamestop are going out of business by doing the opposite of all those things.

The true "brick and mortar" game store would actually be the arcade, but we don't have those anymore. Maybe game stores should offer adjacent gaming cafes or more demo stations in the store. Online retail will be the cheaper, easier way to acquire a product in virtually all instances, so the game store has to offer something more.

I honestly think this is the biggest reason GameStop is struggling right now. They don't offer something unique to them. Sure Game Stop has demo stations, and games you can buy. But Best Buy, Target and Walmart have the same thing, and often with better service and environments. So why need a dedicated store for games if there's nothing uniquely "gamey" about it.

I think if GameStop wants to survive in the modern era, they need to both increase their online presence, and revamp all the stores into more interactive "Arcade" type places. Where you can play a variety of games, maybe sample some in-store products. Basically, be more than just a place to buy games, be a store specifically for gamers (also stop trying to cram pre-orders and a Power-Up Pro membership down people's throats).

 

[JareBear: Remastered]

I honestly think this is the biggest reason GameStop is struggling right now. They don't offer something unique to them. Sure Game Stop has demo stations, and games you can buy. But Best Buy, Target and Walmart have the same thing, and often with better service and environments. So why need a dedicated store for games if there's nothing uniquely "gamey" about it.

I think if GameStop wants to survive in the modern era, they need to both increase their online presence, and revamp all the stores into more interactive "Arcade" type places. Where you can play a variety of games, maybe sample some in-store products. Basically, be more than just a place to buy games, be a store specifically for gamers (also stop trying to cram pre-orders and a Power-Up Pro membership down people's throats).

For the most part I only used GS for trades. Especially when Amazon has the Prime discount on new games. Had no need for GS then

 

[Jubenhimer]

For the most part I only used GS for trades. Especially when Amazon has the Prime discount on new games. Had no need for GS then

This is why I think Game Stop needs to do more with their stores. Brick and Mortar still has a place for mediums like entertainment, as shown with places like Best Buy. But the way Game Stop stores are currently just feels outdated and even oppressive at times. Their failures as a business drives people to other outlets like Amazon, so GS needs to find a way to stand out from online shopping, as well as other physical stores that sell games.