Main Article Content
Abstract
The boost up in the internet population has shown an enormous shift in shopping pattern of customers from retail stores to e-stores. The online retail stores provide almost everything which is required for the day to day purpose and in a much convenient basis. The fixed shop retailers comprise a large section of population and it is the oldest form of retailing. But due to the different incentives provided by the e-stores like convenience in shopping, digital payment, interactive technology, range of varieties, discount facilities etc it has been observed that the e-stores have become much successful in grabbing customers. This situation is creating a threat to the small retailers who carry on their livelihood by running small retail stores. The growing reach of online stores is not limited to metro and large cities but they also deliver products in small towns also. In this paper an attempt has been made to highlight the impact of online shopping practices on retail stores with special reference to apparel stores as apparel contributes 29% of the total online retailing. The study will look out whether any kind of preventive measures have been taken by the fixed shop retailers to counter the e-stores and sustain their survival.