IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
U.S. retail might be moving backwards.
Some online retailers say they will consider opening brick-and-mortar stores during 2015, according a report by the International Council of Shopping Centers.
The study, which cited data taken from an eBay survey of 1,000 Internet businesses, found that 75 percent of those businesses expect solid retail sales this year. Also, 72 percent said they expect online revenue to grow by 17 percent this year, according to the ICSC report.
Some retailers, however, won’t be content with making all of their profits online: 14 percent of those surveyed said they plan to make their first investment this year in a traditional retail store, while 12 percent reported that they plan to “pursue global brick-a and-mortar expansion” this year,
the ICSC report stated.
In 2013, online retail sales in the United States were an estimated $263 billion, while in-store sales totaled approximately $4.3 trillion, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
