Over the course of the last year I have found my purchasing habits to be shifting to online. There are many factors that have led me in in this direction. There’s the convenience, the savings, the unique finds and most of all my laziness.

Although a large portion of my purchasing habits has moved online I haven’t completely abandoned the in-store experience. For me, there are still three occasions where in-store trumps the convenience of online.

1. Christmas: When it comes to shopping, this time of year is a complete. This is the perfect opportunity to gather all your items with a simple click of the button, but for some reason I can’t explain I never get my act together and leave it too late.

2. Birthday Presents: Again, this is so simple. There is an array of online services that provide personalised presents. For some reason I can just never seem to get it together.

3. Social shopping with Mum: I read it in the Herald Sun recently that Mothers and Daughters form strong bonds while shopping. I can relate to this as whenever catching up, it is usually over a coffee and a quick wander down the shops. More often than not neither of us is looking for anything in particular, but will still leave having purchased something.

Still these occasions are rare and I think there needs to be a strong shift within the retail world if they are going to competitive with the online environment. There is no tax on items bought online, so it’s hard for local retailers to compete with the low prices offered online.

I doubt I’m alone in my mentality and believe I share a similar attitude to others in my generation. Besides the social aspects and my lack of organisation, there is little dragging me in-store, which is a frightening thought in terms of the competitiveness of Australian retailers.

Could digital be the answer to this growing problem that has seen many of Australia’s longest standing retail institutions go under?

Would a more interactive in-store experience peel customers away from their computer screen and back into physical stores?