Brick and Mortar

Brick and Mortar is used when referring to the physical presence of a business. This means a building from which the business operates such as a physical store or office.

The term brick and mortar is important when differentiating between a store that is strictly directed at ecommerce and therefore doesn’t have a physical location and one which does. In many instances, a brick and mortar business will operate both a physical store location and an online store. While there’s a growing trend toward ecommerce, most consumers use the internet to research a product but prefer to make the actual purchase at a brick and mortar store.

The Advantages & Disadvantages of Brick and Mortar Stores

A physical store adds to the operating overheads of a business as it requires the cost of renting retail space, interior design and shopfitting, retail assistants, and security personnel. An online store can be more competitive by considerably reducing these costs. Some products, where the consumer is familiar with the brand or there is no need for the touch-and-feel purchasing experience, are better suited to an online store. In other words, there are certain products that a consumer will feel more confident about buying online. Where it’s important that the consumer interacts directly with the product, a brick and mortar store may be the preferred option.