A new study by Verdict and British Land has revealed that 89% of all retail UK sales touch a physical store, with click and collect and online sales browsed in store boosting physical sales by 5%.
This boost rises to 9% when excluding food and grocery sales. Electrical sales show a boost of 32% as online sales "rely heavily on stores."

The study showed that DIY and garden sales had "limited online penetration" and showed the lowest boost - just 3% - when it came to click & collect and online sales influencing physical sales.

Click & collect spend is forecast to double by 2021, with the study predicting that "retailers that can offer a seamless omnichannel experience for shoppers are likely to outperform."

The study showed that women use click & collect more than men, and engage more with stores overall as part of their shopper journeys. Londoners, too, are more like to touch a store when they shop compared with the rest of the UK.

The age groups most attached to stores are 16-24 and 25-34 year olds. Their use of online pure-play retailers is also notably low. The study concluded that "this not only reinforces the importance of physical stores today, but also indicates their likely future importance. Far from showing a pure-play generation of young shoppers, the research reaffirms physical shopping's role as a recreational and social activity that is here to stay."

Verdict retail content director Patrick O'Brien said: "Electricals is one of the most mature online markets, with customers using a variety of channels in their shopper journey. The prevalence of showrooming is resulting in a number of retailers repurposing their physical stores, utilising them to display products and promote online sales rather than just to fulfil immediate sales. We expect this trend to grow as stores continue to migrate to the showcase model."