In the jargon of e-commerce businesses, brick-and-mortar businesses are companies that have a physical presence and offer face-to-face customer experiences. This term is usually used to contrast with a transitory business or an internet-only presence, such as an online shop, which have no physical presence for shoppers to visit and buy from directly, though such online businesses normally have non-public physical facilities from which they either run business operations, and/or warehousing for mass physical product storage and distribution Concerns such as foot traffic, storefront visibility, and appealing interior design apply mainly to brick-and-mortar businesses rather than online ones. (1)
Brick and Mortar Example
The history of brick and mortar extends from the earliest market stalls in existence to the high tech shops of the modern era. This physical presence has been universal in providing goods and services to consumers throughout history. All large retailers started off with a smaller brick and mortar presence which increased as the businesses grew. A prime example of this is McDonald’s, a company that started with one restaurant and now has nearly 35,000 restaurants in over 110 countries and plans to grow further which shows the importance of having this physical presence. (1)
