Do businesses understand their digital landscape?

Running head: MARKETING
Digital Landscape & E-Retailing Case Study
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1MARKETING
Table of Contents
Introduction:....................................................................................................................................2
1. Does Growth In ‘Online Shopping’ Mean Extinction Of Typical ‘High Street’ Store?.............2
2. Examine Various Business Models, Clicks, Bricks, Bricks & Clicks And Finally Clicks And
Bricks? Which If Any Is The Most Sustainable?............................................................................5
3. We Are Increasingly Hearing The Term Omni-Channel Retailing What Does This Mean and
How Can Businesses Exploit This New Phenomenon?..................................................................8
4. Why Online Travel Services are Such a Popular Internet Application? Why Do So Many Web
Sites Provide Free Travel Information?.........................................................................................10
5. Compare Advantages and Disadvantages of Distributing Digitisable Products Electronically
Versus Physically...........................................................................................................................12
References:....................................................................................................................................13

2MARKETING
Introduction:
The essay aims at providing an insight into electronic retailing. The electronic retailing
also known as internet retailing or e-tailing represents the method of selling services and goods
through electronic media via internet for example, M&S. It only takes into consideration the
segment comprising of business to consumer (B2C) where the business is found to sell its goods
to consumers. The essay focuses on answering various questions based on electronic retailing.
The first question focuses on whether ‘online shopping’ leads to the extinction of ‘high street’
store. The second question focuses on the examination of various models like clicks, bricks,
clicks and bricks, bricks and clicks and finding the one which is most suitable. The third question
focuses on Omni-channel retailing and the ways businesses are exploiting the newer
phenomenon. The fourth question revolves around the popularity of online travel service as
internet application and the reasons behind why the web sites put across travel information for
free. The last question undertakes a comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of
distributing the digitized products physically versus electronically.
1. Does Growth In ‘Online Shopping’ Mean Extinction Of Typical ‘High Street’ Store?
Shopping is a necessary phenomenon and can be inconvenient and time consuming. It is
only recently that the industry has not only begun to evolve but also develop. With the society
becoming increasingly digitalized, there is a noteworthy shift in every walk of life from the
reality to virtual world and shopping seems to be no different. The emergence of e-commerce
shop and the online wholesalers like the Alibaba offer logistical and financial efficiency thereby
reducing the need to visit stores. The products and services offered online varies from fashion
items, trips and tourism, second hand sales, tech products, music and books to educational

3MARKETING
courses. An online shopper is expected to spend close to over $1500 every year. In the year
2016, UK was seen to purchase all its Christmas presents online (Bansal 2019).
Survey conducted by GFK found that shoppers in the age group of 14 to 21 years in close
to 10 countries have mentioned their affinity towards store environment and experience, offers
and interactions that it offers (Fahimi et al. 2015). In 7 out of the 10 markets surveyed a
significant portion of the shoppers mentioned that they preferred online shopping from the
retailers who also seem to have physical store.
However for the entire year of 2018, the sales figures of online shopping reached $513.6
which was 14.2 percent higher than what it was in the year 2017. Irrespective of seasonal
adjustments e-commerce for Q4 rose to $158.5 billion ((Richter 2019). The sales figures
portrayed that the sales of e-commerce doubled over the last five years. Although people claim
that e-commerce account for 11.2 percent of the overall sales in retail but the metric seems to be
misleading as e-commerce does not seem to compete with retailers of a gasoline station, used
and new auto dealers and the beverage stores.