In this byline for the Forbes Tech Council, OneRail CEO Bill Catania discusses how front doors have become the new storefronts, and how retail must adapt to this lasting trend.
The pandemic accelerated e-commerce, which is now a $3.3tn market forecasted to reach $5.44tn by 2026, so stores have to adapt to meet this new standard. For instance, they can give customers control over their shopping experience, offer flexible return options, consider implementing deliveries that go “through the door,” deliver from anywhere, utilize the “magic hour” for delivery, and offer eco-friendly deliveries. These adjustments aim to combine digital and physical research with shopping behaviors to turn our front doors into storefronts. Retail shopping is not going away, it is merely morphing to adapt to consumer preferences.