At a show that’s big on emphasising the importance of ecommerce to future growth, it was refreshing to hear so many industry leaders talking up the value of physical locations at the National Retail Foundation’s (NRF) show last week.

“Bricks-and-mortar is an advantage”, asserted Foot Locker boss Ken Hicks, while Blake Nordstrom, president of US department store group Nordstrom, said consumers are gravitating towards street-fronted stores that combine “the right level of energy, excitement and choice”.

For many of the big name retailers speaking at the annual show, physical stores are a vital component in their efforts to offer a truly seamless multichannel experience. Not only do consumers now walk into a shop and expect to see all sizes, colours and styles of product that the retailer offers, they also want access to every possible combination of shipping and payment available; be able to buy the product on any device they like; and be advised while they do it.

Mounting consumer expectations mean more retailers than ever before are using their bricks-and-mortar shops as extensions of their distribution chains. By treating them as warehouses, stores can offer a complete inventory of stock and help meet local fulfilment demand.

And for those who are yet to respond to this vast shift in thinking, the message of ‘it’s now or never’ was loud and clear. The retail industry is going to change more in the next five years than it has in the past 50, said supply chain business JDA chief executive Hamish Brewer at the conference.

Change is imminent and it’s coming from all angles – whether that’s making stores operate in a whole new way; keeping up with constantly improving technological developments; responding to altering consumer demands; or not getting left behind by massive shifts in multichannel capabilities.

How retailers go about implementing such changes will be what determines their future success, and hearing from retail’s trailblazers and leaders can help when it comes to forging ahead in such a rapidly developing landscape.

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NRF: Think of stores as warehouses, Foot Locker boss advises