Brick & Mortar Stores the Key to eCommerce?

I've been saying for a couple years now one key to the future of brick & mortar stores is the use of those stores as distribution centers (another key being all things mobile).  Amazon has been building DCs in a frenzy.  The Wal-Marts of the world don't need to do this because they already have. The new CEO of Wal-Mart's U.S. business sees it the same way.

https://www.internetretailer.com/2015/04/15/wal-mart-stores-are-key-winning-customers-online

Here is a snippet from that piece:

As online and offline retail become more closely linked, with customers purchasing online and picking up in stores, or placing web orders while roaming store aisles, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. thinks it has a major leg up against its competitors.

“With over 4,500 stores, we are within 10 miles of nearly 90% of all Americans,” Greg Foran, Wal-Mart’s new CEO of its U.S. business, told investors last week in a strategic update on Wal-Mart’s U.S. operations. “As we continue to expand, that equation becomes even more fascinating. That is a competitive advantage.”

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant