There was a time when the January sales were the talk of the town in the post-Christmas period. Anxious customers nurtured high expectations of irresistible bargains as they queued for hours waiting for shops in Valletta and Sliema to open for the winter sales.

This seems to be changing as online shopping is proving to be the favoured option of an increasing number of consumers, much to the disappointment of shop owners in our main commercial centres.

While so far the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises – GRTU has not yet commented on the sales reported by its members during the festive season, it is certain that online sales have once again increased over the same period last year.

This trend is not unique to Malta as practically in all EU countries online sales are steadily taking a bigger share of the retail market. Unless owners of physical shops react to this trend they could face a fatal decline in business.

The attractions of online shopping are obvious to anyone who has gone through the experience of buying items on line. There was a time when such items consisted mainly of books and perhaps DVDs.

But now even in Malta one can buy electronic goods, shoes, clothes, prescription glasses, and myriad other commodities from the comfort of one’s home at any time of the day. Yes, the tactile experience of physical shopping may be missing but the convenience is unbeatable.

What consumers look for when shopping on line are competitive prices, a vast selection of goods, guaranteed after sales service, as well as a secure means of payment and a quick delivery. Most of these requirements are today met by most online retailers located in various parts of the world. The initiatives taken by companies like Malta Post that offer a door-to-door delivery service for goods bought online from abroad has opened up the range of items that can be procured by Maltese consumers.

So does this mean the end of physical retail outlets? Not necessarily. But retailers with shops in our main shopping centres need to change their mindset on how they cater for their customers’ needs and the experience they offer.

In these tough economic times consumers have become very price conscious as they look for the best value that they can get for their hard earned money.

There may be various explanations why prices of most goods in Malta are often higher than in other European cities. One possible explanation could be that local retailers expect a higher margin of profit on goods sold as their turnover cannot match that of retailers in big cities abroad.

But there may be other reasons why more Maltese are resorting to online shopping as evidenced by some comments made by shop owners who spoke to The Times correspondent reporting on the Christmas sales that seem to be starting earlier than usual every year.

Some shop owners believe that consumers have to make do with what is available when certain commodities are sold at a discount during sales.

This sounds quite patronising on the part of retailers who know that today’s retail market is a buyers’ market where consumers have the opportunity to shop around both physically and virtually through the internet to get the best deals available.

Retailing can prosper with a ‘clicks and bricks’ strategy as long as both physical and virtual delivery channels strive to put the customer first.