Since the inception of the Internet, traditional “brick and mortar” stores, also known as in-store retailers, have been under siege by online retailers. As indicated by Magner (2013), the next five years will see an increase in online sales, nationally and/or internationally, as they will offer consumers a greater variety of products at competitive prices, with no shopping hours. opening of stores and without GST payable on products. Overseas purchases of less than AUD 1,000. Additionally, the retail life cycle for the majority of store-based retailers has reached the mature and then decline phase. Magner (2013) states that a “slowing down [of] technological system changes, unqualified market acceptance, and product market saturation” were strong indicators for stores to reach the maturity stage. Additionally, changes in consumer lifestyle, product mix preferences, low-cost private label merchandise, and slow technological advancement are factors preventing the industry from propelling itself into the growth phase. growth in the retail life cycle (Magner 2013). Myer and David Jones are examples of businesses that have been impacted by digital retailers, as they face disadvantageous factors such as high operational costs (i.e. labor costs and rental) and a weak product range compared to online retailers (Denness 2014). The example is further illustrated by Figure 1 (above), as it provides statistics on the decline in department store revenues in favor of digital retailers (NAB Group Economics 2014). Additionally, the reluctance of large in-store retailers to invest in the online retail channel has led to a growing number of competitors targeting lucrative Australian consumers. One example is UK-based fashion retailer ASOS, which launched a dedicated website for Australian customers, ...... middle of article ......Retail, accessed April 2, 2014 , .Levy, M & Weitz, B 2012, 'Retail Communication Mix', in Retailing Management, 8th edition, McGraw-Hill Higher Education.Magner, L 2013, , accessed April 2, 2014, .Murphy, T 2014, speech d opening, accessed April 13, 2014, .NAB Group Economics 2014, NAB Business, accessed April 3, 2014. Rigby, D 2011, “The Future of Shopping”, Harvard Business Review, December 2011, pp. 65-76. Wyk, SV 2013, Traditional retail on life support, but omnichannel can help it breathe. new life.