Stores are still more popular than webshops

By: Trademagazin Date: 2023. 10. 03. 12:49

Due to the rise of e-commerce solutions, many people in trade might have thought that traditional stores were dying. However, customers seem to have a different opinion and are not willing to give up the experience that can only be experienced in shopping centers. Demands and expectations are constantly changing, visitors are increasingly looking for complexity, which, in addition to shopping, also includes entertainment and leisure.

According to the data of the Central Statistical Office (KSH), the volume of retail trade decreased by 7.6 percent in July this year, and within this, the decline in the non-food segment was somewhat milder, 5.5 percent, compared to the same period of the previous year. According to the summary of the market researcher GKID, in 2022 the online retail market in Hungary generated a turnover of HUF 1,323 billion, however, the momentum of the sector steadily decreased as the year progressed: although the first three months ended with a 23 percent expansion, the growth of the fourth quarter, which is considered a special period, was only 4 percent. Last year, the market thus expanded by 9.9 percent as a whole, but according to the report, taking the rate of inflation into account, this is already a decrease compared to 2021.

Despite the rise of online stores, most of the traffic is still carried out by traditional stores, partly because some goods simply do not fit in online stores and customers do not give up meetings and personal experiences. The results of the joint survey conducted by Reacty Digital and olcsobbat.hu after the end of the epidemic confirm that customers insist on shopping in traditional stores. Although there was a wide variation in the age groups, 56 percent of the respondents who made an online order in the previous year said that if they could, they would prefer to shop in a store because they want to gain experiences.