The state of UK eCommerce: Moving away from online stores?
Article topics
- In-store only retailing: A modern trend
- Why are businesses moving away from eCommerce?
- Thoughts from businesses that have made the move
- What to consider if you’re looking to leave your online store
You’ve seen the perfect product on a website, and you want to buy it right away.
The only catch? You can’t buy it online; you’ve got to go into a store.
While many businesses sell through eCommerce stores, some are opting not to. And we’re curious to see why this is the case.
In our latest article in a series investigating the state of UK eCommerce in 2025, we’re taking a look at which brands no longer sell online and the reasons why. We’ll also advise what to consider if you want to adopt this business model for yourself.
Check out our first article in the series: 5 lessons businesses can learn from Amazon
In-store only retailing: A modern trend
In March 2026, The Works, a UK-based discount retailer, announced that it was shutting down its eCommerce store to focus on its physical stores. According to The Works, nine out of ten of its sales took place offline.
While customers can continue to view products on The Works website, they can only buy them at The Works brick-and-mortar stores.
The Works isn’t the only business to take its eCommerce store down. Poundland stopped selling online (and closed its online loyalty programme) in 2025.
In 2022, B&M trialled an online home delivery service, offering heavy items that customers would struggle to take home from its stores. The trial was deemed unsuccessful and was scrapped the following year.
Some stores have never offered eCommerce from the outset. For example, supermarkets Lidl and Aldi do not provide an online delivery service, and yet are the third and fourth most popular supermarket chains in the UK, respectively.
Why are businesses moving away from eCommerce?
The main reason why businesses choose to stop selling online? Money. Poundland closed its eCommerce store as part of a restructuring process after being bought out. This, alongside closing over 30 stores and no longer offering frozen foods, allowed the business to keep trading.
While eCommerce can be an affordable way to sell for many businesses, there are still costs businesses need to consider. Brands need to pay platform and transaction fees, as well as acquire customers through digital marketing. Delivery and returns can also play a role. 30% of all products sold online are returned, compared to 9% in brick-and-mortar stores, increasing costs and the chances of products being returned in an unsellable condition.
Interestingly, the modern high street is experiencing a renaissance. Town and city centres are blending retail and leisure, creating hubs where people can meet up, shop, and have fun.
This is driving people back to brick-and-mortar stores, with brands like Lush, Apple, and Nike offering engaging, immersive experiences in-store.
Thoughts from businesses that have made the move
We spoke to two businesses that originally started online, but chose to move away from eCommerce.
Angel runs Wanderlust Portraits, a photography business which also sells prints.
“I initially launched my online store to generate passive income and reach clients outside my area. This worked during the pandemic, but as life returned to normal, I realised that most buyers wanted a personal, tactile experience.
“Despite running ads and social campaigns, local art fairs and in-person events greatly outperformed my eCommerce site in both sales and customer engagement.”
Lesley works for King of Floors, a flooring company which intentionally chose to focus on its physical showroom rather than running an eCommerce store.
“Flooring is incredibly heavy, meaning the logistical cost of sending out customer orders would completely wipe out the savings we would receive by importing directly from the factory.
“Additionally, some flooring looks different depending on how it reflects light, meaning customers need to see and feel full-size samples before buying.”
Both of these businesses were guided by facts, data, and research.
Wanderlust Portraits concluded that selling in person was more profitable than selling online, while King of Floors understood that selling online would be expensive, and that customers wanted to see products in person.
It’s vital to ask yourself the right questions and answer them using tangible data. For example:
- How much will I need to spend selling offline compared to online? For example, rent, business rates, and building insurance
- Can I manage a face-to-face workforce? For example, recruitment, payroll, training, salaries, and benefits?
- How will I market to customers offline and encourage them to convert? One of the key disadvantages of selling in-store is that it’s harder to track the customer journey
What to consider if you’re looking to leave your online store
We’ve already talked about analysing the data to see if moving away from eCommerce is the right choice for your business. However, what else can you do to make the transition as smooth as possible?
1. Test the waters first
Before closing your eCommerce store permanently, check to see if people are happy to buy from you in-person.
Attend local sales events, markets, and fairs – many shopping centres offer short-term ‘pop-up shops’ and kiosks you can hire.
If you already have a brick-and-mortar store, ask your customers (both online and offline) for their thoughts. If they buy online, what would make them want to come to your store in person?
2. Think about how you can provide value to customers
If you’re selling offline, you need to give customers a reason to visit your store.
This could be:
- High-quality service
- Expert knowledge of your sector
- Additional services. For example, as well as selling beauty products, Superdrug offers eyebrow waxing and ear piercing
- Immersive on-site experiences. For example, Selfridges facilitates a host of events, including art exhibitions and even a Jellycat fish and chips van!
3. Continue to have an online presence
Even if you stop selling through your eCommerce store, it’s worth keeping your website active. This builds brand recognition and allows new customers to find you online.
Despite closing their eCommerce stores, The Works and Poundland still have websites where people can browse products, read reviews, and check availability in their nearest store.
4. Consider adapting your business model
It may be that eCommerce is still the right choice for your business; you just need to change how you sell online.
For example, you may want to consider:
- Using a new courier
- Reviewing your delivery charges
- Changing where you deliver to
- Selling using a marketplace
- Selling using social commerce
Another alternative is click and collect – where customers place their orders online and pick up from your store.
5. Regularly assess and review
The eCommerce and retail landscape is constantly changing, and factors beyond your control may affect how you sell to customers. For example, the pandemic meant that many brick-and-mortar stores had to quickly pivot to eCommerce.
If you make the move to selling offline, regularly check and see if it’s still the right approach for your business.
Xigen: The eCommerce agency businesses trust
When you start a business, creating a website and selling online may seem like a logical step. But it’s not the right choice for everyone, as The Works, Poundland, and B&M prove only too well.
Crunch the numbers and review the data to see if selling online is profitable and viable. If you do choose to sell offline, make sure you provide a customer experience that shoppers will love.
If you want an efficient, optimised eCommerce website that encourages visitors to buy from your business, we can help. With over twenty years of experience supporting eCommerce businesses, we’ll design and develop an online store that delivers results.
(And if you want an online store that perfectly aligns with your brick-and-mortar stores, we can help with that too!) Contact us today and see how eCommerce can perfectly complement what your business has to offer.
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