Debunking Conventional Wisdom in Retail

But Amazon's influence stretches further than just the web; it's the new Wal-Mart. Mulpuru suggested that "even though there are so many web retailers that see Amazon as a competitive influence, the reality is that physical retailers need to see Amazon as a competitive influence too."

3. Manufacturers are all now selling direct. The Shop.org/Forrester Research State of Retailing Online study found that 15 percent of retailers cited manufactures with an e-commerce division as their biggest competitors. For example, Sony sells its products wholesale to retailers for their brick-and-mortar stores and e-commerce sites, but also sells to consumers direct via its own e-commerce site.