The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the many issues affecting brick-and-mortar stores: retailers large and small closed a record-breaking 12,200 stores in the U.S. in 2020. But not everybody lost. The clear winners in retail were organizations that had invested in new ways to interact with their customers, finding new ways to personalize the shopper’s experience across every touch point.
In spite of the convenience of online, consumers still enjoy the in-store shopping experience, and companies like Target, whose in-store sales grew by 22.9% percent in Q1 compared to the same time last year, have been able to leverage technology to continue growing.
