Walk-in Traffic Still Breathes Life Into Brick-and-Mortar Stores, Says ICSC.

ORANGE COUNTY, CA-The Internet hasn’t killed walk-in sales. At least not yet, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers. Initial fears when the Web started to take hold was that stores would close as more households used the Internet. But based on recent walk-in sales, those worries have not yet materialized, according to ISCS’s John Konarski.

In fact, the web has “forced traditional retailers to come into the 20th century” in terms of selling outlets, Konarski reported at the recent ICSC Western Division Conference. He also sharedUS Department of Commerce statistics that indicated that Internet sales represent less than 1% of total retail sales. During the second quarter of 2000, retail sales totaled $815 billion, of which $5.5 billion came from Internet sales.