We all know that Amazon Inc. (AMZN) has completely disrupted the retail space. With more consumers doing much of their shopping online — many retail companies are living on borrowed time. Especially when you consider that almost half of U.S. households are now Amazon Prime subscribers, according to a report from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners. But contrary to popular belief, not all retailers are doomed. Sure, department stores like Macy’s and J.C. Penney are sleepwalking into their graves. There’s no hope for them. But a handful of brick-and-mortar retailers have emerged as Amazon-proof. As senior analyst Jonathan Rodriguez reveals, one small cap stands far above the fray…

Ahead of the tape,

Louis Basenese
Chief Investment Strategist, Wall Street Daily

The Blueprint for Retail Success

For big retail, it’s been immensely challenging to compete with the $431 billion business-killing behemoth of Amazon.

But it’s not impossible…

Take, for instance, Home Depot Inc. (HD) — the nation’s largest home improvement store.

Its customers are mainly contractors and homeowners performing do-it-yourself work on their property (like me).

Sure, Amazon can sell you paint or vinyl siding.

But in most cases, DIY-ers want to see and touch the raw materials going into their projects before purchasing.

Or customers may have questions for staff on the materials — or their end goals — that Google just can’t answer.

And for customers who want the flexibility of online ordering and in-store pickup, Home Depot’s 2,278 locations sprinkled strategically across North America make it easy to do just that.

While other struggling retailers are shuttering cash-draining locations left and right to cut costs, Home Depot’s seamless integration of online commerce with thousands of physical locations gives it a huge advantage over Amazon.

Unfortunately, too many retailers got into the e-commerce game late. And efforts to build out an online presence that rivals Amazon are now futile.