Is that mouse shopping the web or a physical store?  Or both?

Based on the theory that online shopping is going to explode this year (and all accounts point to that being true), Forbes ran a list of online shopping trends that are taking off, or will be soon. The ones that caught our eye helped blur the line between online retailers and brick-and-mortar — as physical stores move to catch up with the web, this seems like an area to watch:

• Walmart now lets customers do in-store pick-up of online purchases.  Meanwhile, Sears and Kmart one-up the retail behemoth by offering to bring those internet purchases right out to your car.
• Both online retailers and physical stores are launching mobile apps with increasing frequency.  In particular, our recent favorites have been those line-blurring apps that help in-store customers shop more efficiently.
• Social networking is only getting bigger, and active Facebook and Twitter accounts help physical retailers keep a hand in in the the online realm.

In the online vs. physical game for precedence, our money’s on the retailers who integrate both.  As much as we might not like to admit it, Walmart, we’re watching you.