Ted S. Warren, File/AP Images
It's good news for Amazon.
- Non-store sales beat out general merchandise sales in brick-and-mortar stores for the first time in February.
- According to the Bespoke Investment Group, this is the culmination of a trend that's been building up for years.
- For companies attempting to survive the retail apocalypse, it's a stark reminder of the importance of digital sales.
This won't come as much of a surprise to anyone who's come to rely on Amazon Prime, but online shopping is here to stay.
The Bespoke Investment Group pointed out that in February, non-store
It's not a major difference, as the Bespoke Investment Group pointed out in its April 2 analysis: "Sure, we had to go out to three decimal places, so the margin of different is extremely small."
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Still, the group also posted a chart demonstrating how much the share of retail sales has changed since 1992. Non-store "clicks" purchases have risen steadily since the 1990s, while general merchandise "bricks" sales have fallen since peaking around 2009.
This trend may represent a turning point in the ongoing retail apocalypse, which threatens to devastate any retailers who fail to adapt to the changing shopping environment.
In February, US retail sales declined 0.2%, signaling an economic slowdown. But the good news continues to roll in for non-store retailers like online giant Amazon. According to the US Department of Commerce, that sector experienced a sales growth of 0.9% for the month and 10% for the year.
