Good news for small
business owners everywhere, local boutiques like mine (Pashma) and mega shopping districts
like Union Square in SFO which rely on real people with real feet
that wander around, shop, eat, laugh and play to create ambiance and a festive atmosphere.
Amidst all the hype around the benefits of e-retail, Bonobos, so far only an online clothing retailer, recently announced a partnership with Nordstrom, embracing the brick-and-mortar selling model.
Nothing replaces touch and feel when it comes to the joy of shopping and this announcement is a sign of times to come; back-to-the-future you might say. Change often generates a mentality of replacement - video will replace movies in theaters, online ads will replace paper advertising or e-selling will replace brick-and-mortar.
Well not so fast! To quote Mark Twain, "The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated".