In news that will shock absolutely no one who has ever tried to buy a size 16 in a physical store, Primark has announced it will finally launch a home delivery service in Britain. The retailer, which spent years treating e-commerce like a suspicious stranger at a party, has bought a warehouse in Sheffield to make it happen. No launch date yet, because why rush now?

Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, when shops were closed and the entire concept of "going outside" was temporarily illegal, Primark held the line. No online shopping. In 2022, it deigned to offer click-and-collect, but shoppers still had to physically travel to retrieve their purchases, like peasants collecting grain.

Jess Bacon, a 29-year-old culture journalist and author from Peterborough, does all her clothes shopping online. As a plus-size woman, she finds in-store size ranges unreliable. "The sizing in store is notoriously bad. I find it quite demoralising in store," she says. "The average size woman in the UK is a size 14 or a size 16. I think a lot of people just don't feel seen or represented."

Jess finds online shopping "much quicker than going into a store, paying for parking, trying things on." She also finds posting back items less hassle than in-store returns, and her frequent trips to the local post office give her "more of a community connection." So there you go: the post office is now the third place.

She notes Primark is one of the few High Street retailers where plus-size people can shop, usually stocking up to a size 22. Soon, she'll be able to avoid the store entirely for that too.

Analysts say Primark's decision reflects major challenges from ultra-fast-fashion brands like Shein. Online shopping was already rising before the pandemic. According to the Office for National Statistics, online accounted for 27.3% of all retail sales in August this year, up from 18.1% in August 2019. The internet: still winning.

The decline of the High Street has also boosted online shopping, something Jess has noticed in Peterborough. "We don't have John Lewis [anymore]. There's kind of not that much of a reason to go into town."

Julia Mitchell, 32, a content creator near Chichester, also avoids in-person clothes shopping. She finds it overstimulating and thinks better bargains exist online. "I basically never go into them [clothes shops]. It's not really something I enjoy," she says. "I guess some people might be able to see stuff and pick it up and look at it, but for me, being able to get the best price is more important." She tries to shop ethically, mostly second-hand from Vinted. The one thing she never buys online? Books. "The thing about bookshops is that they are cultural spaces and community spaces."

Sandra Davies, 61, from Sheffield, does all her shopping online. She has had three strokes and finds walking to and around stores physically taxing. "I've tried it on two occasions but on both times, standing in a queue for over 10 minutes was too much for me and I collapsed." Waiting for deliveries is also stressful, as she worries about missing the postie and having to reschedule.

Retail analyst Julie Palmer isn't surprised Primark finally moved into home deliveries, recognising that "online sales bring scale." But she warns a shop's returns policy can "make or break" it. Many brands offer hassle-free returns, which Primark must match. "Shoppers want them to be free, simple and quick. That means a generous window, lots of drop-off options and refunds that land within days, not weeks. When a policy is clunky or slow, customers remember it and shop elsewhere next time."

Returns are expensive for retailers, though. Some, like Asos, now charge a fee for frequent returns. Palmer calls it a balancing act, "because a fee can easily push a customer to a competitor." Most retailers that charge still offer free returns in store, a deliberate tactic to get people through the door and hopefully spending again.

So Primark joins the 21st century, slightly late but with a warehouse in Sheffield. The High Street, meanwhile, continues its slow transformation into a nostalgic memory and a place to return things you bought online.