I'm not entirely sure across the whole range of retail, but I know that it's true for hobby shops that sell board games and collectible card games.  Now that everyone buys online, the hobby shops need to derive a lot more revenue from live events and promos than from simply moving product.

Investigating a Possible Scammer in Journalism’s AI Era - The Local

Scoresby

I'm not entirely sure across the whole range of retail, but I know that it's true for hobby shops that sell board games and collectible card games.  Now that everyone buys online, the hobby shops need to derive a lot more revenue from live events and promos than from simply moving product.
