Brick-bait: Three tricks up retailers' sleeves to lure you back to shops

Department stores and clothing retailers are drawing on consumer behaviour and psychological research to make themselves more appealing

Bricks-and-mortar retail stores are under intense pressure from online competition. Feeling the most heat are clothes shops and department stores.

This year David Jones’s profit halved, to A$64 million. Myer declared a “disappointing” A$486 million loss. German giant Esprit, whose global sales have fallen 40% in four years, has shuttered its Australian operations. The US-based Gap closed its last Australian store back in February. Other brands to have collapsed include Metalicus, Oroton, Marcs, David Lawrence and Pumpkin Patch.

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What to do?

One answer is to invest in and enhance those aspects of