The Internet has quickly become a meaningful selling channel in its own right, one that is replacing catalogs and is the biggest retail channel besides store based shopping.
Technology and lessons from tracking best practices at retail web sites has the potential to enhance store-based shopping. It is inevitable that the distinction between store based shopping and Internet shopping becomes blurred as each channel incorporates ideas and successes from each. In time stores will become smart stores and web sites will incorporate retail services to give you a seamless experience in shopping.
Just what each channel will embrace with trial and error is anyones guess. It does seem possible that we may eventually end up with a single service that incorporates both real stores and virtual stores using a mix of smart technology in hardware with useful data and online services.
