In the rush to get every business, company and product online it can be easy to forget that most websites are just windows offering a glimpse in to real world companies. The Actual site is dedicated to these companies - the Actual businesses behind the myriad of options that make up today's internet.
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Behind many of the Clicks are Brick and Mortar companies that even to this day possess a buildings and stores for operations. The name is a metonym derived from the traditional building materials associated with physical buildings - bricks and mortar - in contrast with online stores, which have no physical presence.
In the jargon of eCommerce, brick and mortar businesses are companies that have a physical presence - a physical store - and offer face-to-face consumer experiences. This term is usually used to contrast with a transitory business or an internet-only presence, such as an online shop. An example would be the movie-rental shop Blockbuster Video, which has physical stores and is in competition with the newer online rental services offered by Netflix. In this sense, the term is also a retronym in that all stores had a physical presence before the advent of the Internet, making such a term unnecessary. A comparable term in the United Kingdom is High Street shops, although the phrase brick and mortar business is also used.