在這個(gè)艱難的假日季過(guò)后，許多大型零售商都開(kāi)始著力削減成本。杰西潘尼（J.C. Penney）、梅西百貨（Macy’s）和西爾斯百貨（Sears）都宣布，由于消費(fèi)者越來(lái)越傾向于網(wǎng)上購(gòu)物，他們將關(guān)閉數(shù)十家實(shí)體店。不過(guò)情況本來(lái)可能還會(huì)更加糟糕。說(shuō)也奇怪，正是這種電子商務(wù)的趨勢(shì)——這也是大部分零售商在假日季的業(yè)績(jī)亮點(diǎn)——才讓更多的實(shí)體店免于被淘汰。

這種違反直覺(jué)的策略原理如下：傳統(tǒng)零售商若要抵抗亞馬遜（Amazon）的統(tǒng)治，就應(yīng)該把實(shí)體店作為線上銷售的當(dāng)?shù)刂巍ｋm然它能否取得成功還是個(gè)未知數(shù)，不過(guò)零售業(yè)的許多首席執(zhí)行官都在最近的收入電話會(huì)議上推崇了這種想法。

科爾士百貨公司（Kohl’s）在假日季的線上銷量創(chuàng)造了歷史新高，然而公司的整體銷售額卻下滑嚴(yán)重。公司表示，現(xiàn)在有三分之一的網(wǎng)上訂單都是通過(guò)地面店提取或郵寄的方式完成的（此舉平均節(jié)省了半天的快遞時(shí)間）。

在杰西彭尼，90%的網(wǎng)店退貨都會(huì)流入實(shí)體店，這讓公司有機(jī)會(huì)從顧客那里獲得更多銷售額。

塔吉特（Target）則表示，有四分之三的美國(guó)人都住在他們的實(shí)體店十英里之內(nèi)，這有助于他們更快完成訂單，那些消費(fèi)者現(xiàn)在越來(lái)越希望商品在幾個(gè)小時(shí)，而不是幾天內(nèi)送到。

科爾士稱，公司的數(shù)據(jù)有力支撐了實(shí)體店有助于網(wǎng)店銷售的理論。他們發(fā)現(xiàn)，在去年關(guān)閉18家門(mén)店后，這些門(mén)店附近地區(qū)貢獻(xiàn)的線上銷售額也下跌了10%，一些消費(fèi)者完全忘記了這家連鎖店。根據(jù)這項(xiàng)發(fā)現(xiàn)，科爾士計(jì)劃縮小200家門(mén)店的規(guī)模，而不是徹底關(guān)掉它們。

與此同時(shí)，百思買(mǎi)（Best Buy）等零售商認(rèn)為會(huì)有更多的技術(shù)幫助實(shí)體店提升銷量。例如，百思買(mǎi)就給員工配備了手持設(shè)備，假如某款電視機(jī)沒(méi)貨了，它們就可以告訴消費(fèi)者附近店面是否還有庫(kù)存。百思買(mǎi)近年來(lái)一直努力避免關(guān)閉實(shí)體店，公司的首席執(zhí)行官休伯特?喬利表示：“在實(shí)體店，科技可以成為我們最好的朋友。”

然而，零售商無(wú)法逃避的事實(shí)是，實(shí)體店銷量的下滑比網(wǎng)店銷量的上漲更快。到最后，零售商可能只是在推遲它們死亡的時(shí)日罷了。

咨詢公司AlixPartners的零售業(yè)務(wù)聯(lián)席主管喬爾?拜恩斯表示，黃金地段高昂的不動(dòng)產(chǎn)成本，使得維持實(shí)體店的代價(jià)很大。相反，網(wǎng)店的貨倉(cāng)都設(shè)在地段很便宜、員工工資也很低的地方。

拜恩斯說(shuō)：“這些年來(lái)我們的實(shí)體店關(guān)閉大潮即將來(lái)臨，而且還將持續(xù)很多很多年。”（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

譯者：嚴(yán)匡正

After a tough holiday season, many big- box retailers went on a cost-cutting binge. J.C. Penney, Macy’s, and Sears all announced that they would shutter dozens of stores each as shoppers increasingly shift online. But the carnage could have been much worse. Oddly enough, it was that very shift to e-commerce—the one bright spot for most retailers during the holidays—that spared even more stores from the reject rack.

The counterintuitive strategy boils down to this: If traditional retailers have any hope of countering Amazon’s dominance, it’s by using their brick-and-mortar stores as local arms of their online businesses. Whether or not that’s ultimately successful, a number of retail CEOs touted the idea during recent earnings calls.

Kohl’s, which had record online sales over the holidays while its overall business slumped badly, says that one-third of online orders are now either picked up in its stores or shipped by one (shaving a half-day off its average delivery time).

At J.C. Penney, 90% of e-commerce returns are handled in a store, giving the company another chance to wring more sales from those customers.

And Target says three-quarters of Americans live within 10 miles of one of its stores, an edge that it claims will help it deliver online orders more quickly to shoppers who increasingly want their merchandise in a couple of hours, not a couple of days.

Kohl’s says it has data to back up the theory that brick-and-mortar stores help online sales. Last year, after closing 18 stores, it found that online sales at nearby addresses fell 10%, as some shoppers forgot about the chain altogether. Based on those findings, Kohl’s plans to shrink 200 stores instead of closing any of them.

Meanwhile, retailers like Best Buy believe that more technology will lift store sales. For example, Best Buy has armed workers with handheld ?devices that can show customers whether nearby stores have a particular TV that is otherwise out of stock. “In the stores, technology can be our best friend,” says Best Buy CEO Hubert Joly, whose company has avoided closing stores in recent years.

Still, the inescapable reality for retailers is that store sales are falling faster than e-commerce can make up for. In the end, retailers may only be postponing their day of reckoning.

High real estate costs in prime locations make it expensive to keep stores open, says Joel Bines, cohead of retail for consulting firm AlixPartners. E-commerce warehouses, in contrast, are typically built on cheap land and where wages are low.

Says Bines: “The wave of store closings we’ve been predicting for years is upon us, and it’s going to last for many, many years.”