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Click and mortar (sometimes written click-and-mortar) refers to a business model that combines online (click) and offline (mortar) operations. In simpler terms, it’s a company that sells products or services through both a physical storefront and a digital platform like an ecommerce website or mobile app.
This hybrid approach blends traditional retail experiences with the convenience of online shopping, giving customers the flexibility to shop online, visit a store, or move between the two depending on their needs. Many click-and-mortar retailers also lean heavily into mobile commerce, since on-the-go shoppers often check inventory, place orders, or arrange pickup directly from their phones.
An omnichannel retail strategy provides a unified experience across every customer touchpoint: website, mobile app, social media, and physical stores. The click-and-mortar model is one of the most common ways brands put omnichannel into practice, since it lets shoppers start a journey in one channel and finish it in another (browse online, buy in-store, return curbside, or order online and pick up the same day).
When this consistency is delivered well, it tends to improve customer retention, since shoppers stay with brands that meet them in whichever channel they happen to be using.
Brands like Nike, Apple, and Warby Parker use click-and-mortar strategies, offering online shopping alongside in-store experiences with options like buy online, pick up in store (BOPIS), curbside pickup, and local returns. Many DTC brands also follow a click-and-mortar path as they grow, opening flagship stores or partnering with retailers like Sephora, Target, or Ulta while continuing to operate their direct ecommerce site.
If you operate both online and offline channels, treat them as one inventory and one customer record rather than two parallel systems. Syncing online and in-store data means a subscriber who buys at the register gets the same recognition, rewards, and recurring-order experience as one who orders online.
