Choose the term that best fits the following: Physical stores turning into showrooms in the minds of consumers and the rise of online buying are forcing retailers to rethink their costly real$-$estate assets and merchandising formats.

$$ A$)$ Explosion of consumer data

$$ B$)$ Blurring boundaries among channels, formats, and brands

$$ C$)$ Maturing retail technologies

$$ D$)$ Scientific retailing

$$ E$)$ Challenged store economics