Boxes on porches tell a tale of the changing market as E-commerce continues to rule the realm.

“It's definitely not just a phase,” said Jordan Grady, executive director for the Butler County Chamber of Commerce.

Grady said convenience is the main reason so many people gravitate toward shopping online, and in seeing these trends, many retailers, especially large ones, have adapted to meet that demand.

“Now even from your smart phone you can shop it, order it and it's at your door in two days,” Grady said.

According to the Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce, U.S. retail E-commerce sales were estimated at $154.5 billion nationwide in the third quarter, an increase of 5 percent from the second quarter.

The bureau's report said E-commerce retail is estimated to increase 16.9 percent from the third quarter of 2018.

E-commerce sales in the third quarter of 2019 accounted for 11.2 percent of total sales.

Stan Kosciuszko, president of the Butler County Chamber of Commerce, said he was shopping in Pittsburgh on Thursday, and he was shocked at the lack of traffic.

“My opinion is that it's not very crowded, but I wish it was more crowded,” he said.

Kosciuszko said the employees of the retail stores appeared thankful to have shoppers in person. He said one employee confirmed his suspicions.

“The woman said thank you very much for shopping in the store and not online,” Kosciuszko said.

He said the county chamber's mission is to promote local businesses. He said it's a goal for most chambers.

“Once you realize the benefits of that personal touch, then it's really special and you want to continue doing that,” Kosciuszko said.

While online shopping hurts most small retail stores, Butler County's businesses have kept pace by complimenting their brick and mortar locations with online venues, according to Grady.

“Our local small businesses are doing a great job of employing their own version of an E-commerce platform,” he said.

Grady said many local businesses are offering online options, forming partnerships to stay competitive in shipping and networking through the chamber and social media.

“They're doing a fantastic job of diversifying themselves,” Grady said.