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Black Friday might be dying, but traditional retail isn’t going away

In the age of Amazon, it’s easy to be pessimistic about the future of traditional retail. What’s the use of malls when we can buy stuff from the comfort of our own beds, where we don’t have to deal with crowds or rude shop assistants? And at this particular time of the year, why on […]

Black Friday might be dying, but traditional retail isn’t going away

[Photo: Clark Street Mercantile/Unsplash]

BY Anisa Purbasari Horton1 minute read

In the age of Amazon, it’s easy to be pessimistic about the future of traditional retail. What’s the use of malls when we can buy stuff from the comfort of our own beds, where we don’t have to deal with crowds or rude shop assistants? And at this particular time of the year, why on earth would anyone bring on an additional source of stress?

But as Fast Company‘s Austin Carr points outthe so called “retail apocalypse” is not going to doom all physical retailers. At least, not retailers who successfully leverage what Amazon doesn’t have–be it personalized service or “the insights and personal connection of fellow humans.” Carr traveled across America to glean insights from thriving retailers–from Warby Parker to a high-end fashion menswear store in Minneapolis, MartinPatrick3.

In fact, despite data showing that many of us aren’t that enthused about Black Friday, a number of retailers saw their shares increase today. Macy’s saw its shares go up  by 3.4% while Nordstrom went up by 1.1%, as reported by Reuters.

The takeaway? Amazon’s not going to drive all retailers away–at least not those who are willing to be creative and provide an experience for customers that the tech giant can’t provide.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Anisa Purbasari Horton is a contributing writer for Fast Company. She has written about the intersection of work and life, psychology, money, and leadership for more than 7 years More


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