Usually, it happens late at night. Sometimes on weekends. It rarely used to happen when your store was open. Lately, it’s happening when your doors are open.

The hardest part is that you still smile at one another in the store. But, you both know what is going on. Their cart is different. It’s lighter than usual. You both know it. But, what are you going to do?

Your customers are cheating on you. They buy online from someone else even while they still show up and shop in your store.

You knew this day would come. You just didn’t realize that it would be all of them.

Today’s customers

Roughly 8 in 10 Americans now shop online. Most people.

Here’s the kicker. They just shop online sometimes.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau in the fourth quarter of 2018 Ecommerce sales accounted for 9.9% of US retail sales. Ecommerce sales accounted for 9.7% of retail sales overall.

Your customers are just cheating on you a little. They buy some things online, sometimes.

They’re all doing it. Americans are all omnichannel shoppers.

But here’s the thing. That’s growing. Ecommerce sales as a percentage of total retail sales increased 14% between 2017 and 2018. From 8.9% of total sales to 9.7% of retail sales. It’s growing faster than retail sales itself.

Retailers make the fatal mistake of writing customers off. They mentally categorize consumers as people who shop in stores or people who shop online. Thus, it’s created a mental divide. In reality, almost everyone shops online and in-store. They shop one way or the other depending on what suits them best in each particular instance.

Your customers are all online shoppers and in-store shoppers. Every single one of them does it when they make purchases in every single category. From clothing to pets to hardware to furniture.

And they are cheating on you right now with e-retailers because they can’t buy online from you. They continue to cheat more and more. Online shopping is growing the fastest.

What are you going to do?

It’s time to do something about it. Everyone shops online. Provide your customers with solutions to buy from you when and how they want to.

Stop thinking of people as “online” or “store” shoppers. They’re all shoppers. Your shoppers.

For now.