The roll out of vaccines in key markets has retailers taking a more serious look at what retail may look like as lockdowns are lifted and socializing becomes less distant.There’s much debate about what consumers will do - when given a choice. One camp is betting that having gotten used to e-commerce they’ll continue to opt for online shopping.On the other side, people predict a surge in foot traffic as consumers return to physical stores - not just because they like the IRL shopping experience, but because it’s a touch point with ‘normal’ or ‘better’ times.But from a consumer point of view, physical retail and e-commerce aren’t necessarily seen as two competing channels but simply as part of the overall retail landscape. The Benefits of ‘Bricks’Considering how difficult it has been keeping people locked down, it won’t be surprising if there’s a rush - at least initially - towards anything that gets people out of their homes.For bricks-first retailers a return to IRL (in real life) shopping is the blessing most are hoping for. Even those who ramped up their e-commerce efforts and were able to grow online sales agree that selling offline is far more profitable. Retailers relied on click and collect and local delivery as a means of survival but at great margin cost and a loss of impulse sales.Retailers also discovered new inventory issues, such as the differences in packaging goods bounds for retail and those being sent as individual e-commerce shipments.Mass merchants only survived because their in-store traffic gains overcame losses from the high cost of e-commerce solutions, especially from shipping costs and merchandise returns.The take-away from the pandemic is that having a strong e-commerce channel can work in tandem with physical stores. Also, that multichannel is not only a way to maximize sales in good times, but it gives you options in bad times. Winning With ‘Clicks’At the same time, consumers have gotten used to buying more categories online. Many retailers offered free shipping during the pandemic in a desperate effort to compete with Amazon. Consumers have come to expect free shipping - on everything. Going forward, we’ll see growing demand for shipping solutions that both consumers and retailers can accept. Digital-first players have a clear advantage in e-commerce channels since their business models are purpose-built to be profitable in the face of shipping costs and higher levels of merchandise returns. They also have greater expertise in the entire online customer experience - from discovery to frictionless websites that make it highly intuitive for shoppers.However this level of expertise comes at a cost - time and money. The infrastructure that powers Amazon and similar platforms is massive and complex. Very few could afford to duplicate it. The customer facing experience is also carefully crafted, after years of trial and error - and is constantly evolving. Those bricks-and-mortar retailers who think that they can quickly jump to becoming digital-first players might gain renewed respect for their stores as they tackle the long journey to compete with experienced e-commerce players.