MIAMI—For all the talk about e-commerce eroding brick-and-mortar sales, a new study from A.T. Kearney offers a totally different perspective. The Omnichannel Shopping Preferences Study reveals that although e-commerce is grabbing headlines and shaping commercial real estate strategies, physical stores are still the preferred shopping channel for most consumers.

The study was based on a survey of 2,500 US shoppers that asked respondents about their shopping preferences and behaviors. The survey covered all age segments—teens, Millennials, Generation X, Baby Boomers, and seniors.

According to the study, stores play a critical role in online purchases. Specifically, two-thirds of customers making purchases online use a physical store before or after the transaction.