We may look at both e-commerce and brick-and-mortar stores as channels that don’t have much of a difference. As shoppers, we see these two have more similarities than differences. But that is not the case, because, in reality, there are a lot of differences between these two than selling online or offline. 

And here they are, starting with…

Location

E-commerce stores and brick-and-mortar stores are often conflated. But the difference lies in how the products are sold. E-commerce stores sell products online, putting items on storefronts, letting customers add them to their cart, and having those products delivered to their customers in a specific period of time. 

Brick-and-mortar stores, on the other hand, sell their products in physical stores, may it be a single outlet or a chain of stores where customers can purchase products personally and have them on the same day. 

Payment Method

With the advancement of technology, stores have adapted to various transaction methods. Cash, credit cards, and even e-wallets paying whichever way you want is possible. For e-commerce stores, paying using credit cards and e-wallets are the main methods of payment used. 

Brick-and-mortar stores accept cash, which e-commerce stores can’t do. This made it more convenient for customers who don’t have credit cards or even e-wallets to make cashless transactions possible. 

Business Strategy

A lot of the biggest names in the business industry have already adopted an omnichannel strategy. This is one great advantage of having an e-commerce store as this strategy can be efficiently used. It allows a business to do its advertising online, engage with customers through phone or chat, and accept a wide range of payment methods. 

While brick-and-mortar stores can use this strategy, they will still have a hard time effectively deploying this approach as they are limited by a lot of factors. 

These are just some of the differences between e-commerce and brick-and-mortar stores which may or may not be true, especially these days since there are already a lot of brick-and-mortar businesses adopting what e-commerce stores do. Merging different strategies to provide a seamless shopping experience for their customers on and offline.