Brick and mortar (B&M) refers to a company that possesses a building or store for operations[1]. The name is a metonym derived from the traditional building materials associated with physical buildings – bricks and mortar – in contrast with online stores, which have no physical presence.
In the jargon of eCommerce, brick and mortar businesses are companies that have a physical presence — a physical store — and offer face-to-face consumer experiences. This term is usually used to contrast with a transitory business or an internet-only presence, such as an online shop. An example would be the movie-rental shop Blockbuster Video, which has physical stores and is in competition with the newer online rental services offered by Netflix. In this sense, the term is also a retronym in that all stores had a physical presence before the advent of the Internet, making such a term unnecessary. A comparable term in the United Kingdom is High Street shops, although the phrase brick(s) and mortar business is also used.
References
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