[HN Gopher] Bricks Might Save Clicks
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Bricks Might Save Clicks
Author : prostoalex
Score : 21 points
Date : 2022-04-24 22:33 UTC (1 days ago)
(HTM) web link (www.wsj.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.wsj.com)
| awinter-py wrote:
| 'rising cost of doing business online' is a disingenuous way to
| say that platforms have increased the # of ads they're serving in
| order to pretend they're still viable businesses, and therefore
| user acquisition is bananas in every category
|
| retail bounceback / showroom-ification may be a short term trend
| for a few lucky online brands with scale, but ultimately mass
| customization has to eat apparel. The physical location of auto-
| tailors will depend on turnaround times, scanning tech, and
| consumer prefs
| dzink wrote:
| It's interesting that this happened soon after Amazon closed its
| physical stores. If online retailers struggle to get distribution
| with non-targeted ads, then physical retail is an expensive
| answer. Maybe the right format (Obvious mall kiosks for digital
| shopping, etc) might help.
| mjevans wrote:
| All of the Amazon 4 stars that I'm aware of were in expensive
| locations like larger malls.
|
| Amazon also owns Whole Foods, which is already a B&M operation.
| The natural thing for them to do is to have an extremely thin
| warehouse and return presence in these stores and put some of
| the smaller and frequently purchased impulse buys out on part
| of an isle.
| mumblemumble wrote:
| I'm not so sure about that. I'd have to travel past
| approximately 15 CVS and Walgreens locations that are already
| full of the same kinds of goods in order to pick them up at
| Whole Foods, and I'm rarely thinking about Bluetooth
| headphones when I'm shopping for tins of beans. And whatever
| they'd be removing from the shelves in order to make room is
| probably generating more revenue and/or doing a better
| service to the Whole Foods brand than Amazon Basics cell
| phone cases would.
| gpapilion wrote:
| Retail is brutal low margin business. I don't think you can grow
| to the fullest extent without both physical and on-line
| presences. It' difficult to see couches to consumers, if they
| want to try them first. In 2021 you had to buy on-line, and that
| isn't true now.
| closeparen wrote:
| The 6+ month lead times on couches makes them difficult to sell
| full stop. I want a new couch but I don't care enough about
| 6-month-future-me to actually order one. Extremely delayed
| gratification is an interesting "accidental" strategy for
| cutting down on consumerism!
| kingcharles wrote:
| https://archive.ph/20220422112132/https://www.wsj.com/articl...
| throw__away7391 wrote:
| This "stores as ads" trend has really destroyed a lot of
| previously nice neighborhoods in Manhattan, as all the commercial
| real estate is gobbled up in areas in SoHo and Greenwich Village
| by stores that actually lose money based on retail sales at that
| location but use the store to create brand awareness and feature
| the store prominently in online ad campaigns. These drive up
| commercial real estate prices quite a lot forcing businesses that
| actually sell things to people out, so so for all the days you're
| not buying a suitcase with a built-in cell phone charger or a
| $7,000 neon orange jacket you'll have a harder time finding a
| bar, bodega, or any kind of shop you'd use on a regular basis.
|
| This make ironically some of the most prestigious addresses on
| some of the prettiest streets less nice. Particularly in SoHo
| there's a bunch of super fancy very beautiful lofts that sell for
| many $10s of millions, but if you need to "run downstairs for
| some eggs" or grab a coffee or something, you'll be walking many
| blocks through what's basically a luxury mall to get there. Also
| makes the streets feel deader at 7:00 when the shops all close
| down.
| Swenrekcah wrote:
| This is a very real problem and the only viable solution I know
| of is for the local government to mandate a certain ratio (with
| error margins) of different types of establishments.
|
| For example, not more than 15% of a street can be hotels, or
| clothing stores, perhaps at least 25% be
| bars/restaurants/entertainment, etc.
| [deleted]
| analog31 wrote:
| It seems like the neighborhood retailers are getting it from
| both sides: Competing for space with luxury brands, and
| competing for sales with delivery services.
| steve76 wrote:
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