In the beginning of electronic commerce, competition came from both click-only companies, as well as other brick-and-mortar companies, so firms found it necessary to develop an online presence. The first retailers online who did venture forth found the Internet had given them a competitive advantage over those that remained entirely brick-and-mortar. Click-and-mortar companies found a new consumer market, those who were unable to be brick-and-mortar customers because of time or space, or those who liked the opportunity to shop online.
Many large retailers were reluctant to develop an online presence because of the fear of cannibalization. In essence, their customers would stop going to the stores and only ...
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