The pandemic massively accelerated eCommerce growth, with online GMV increasing from 13.6% of total retail in 2019 to 18% in 2020, and an estimated 19.5% in 2021. With this rapid growth rate, it's interesting to start picturing a future where "shopping" involves putting a VR headset from the comfort of your home to visit your own personalized, empty store to shop without crowds, physical items delivered to your home in 2-3 days.
However, while humans still crave in-person social interaction, physical-ish (technical term) retail will stay for the near term. As one data point, Warby Parker intends to continue increasing their brick-and-mortar footprint post-pandemic and explains how both offline and online channels interplay in their S-1.
"We aim to meet the customer wherever and whenever they want to shop, whether that’s online, in store, or even at home. Glasses are an incredibly personal accessory; as customers look toward purchasing their next pair, we find that there is significant interplay across online and offline channels—browsing online might lead to a visit in one of our more than 145 stores and end with a purchase via our e-commerce app. A customer journey that starts in store can end with a purchase online and vice versa, with more than 70% of our customers interacting with our website or mobile app before placing an order."
In 2021 as things returned to "normal" post-pandemic, Warby Parker notes that their sales were 50/50 offline and online, while clearly acknowledging that offline and online channels no longer neatly sit in separate categories.