Not according to my analysis [1]. Also if you take a look at sites that specialize in e-commerce founder interviews, you’ll see that they use all sorts of acquisition channels/strategies (partnerships with mini influencers, FB/Instagram Ads, SEO, affiliate programs and so on) and they work really well.

I would understand if you said “the internet = Google for MY retail store”, but saying it applies for all online retail is simply incorrect.

[1] https://zerotousers.com [2] https://www.starterstory.com/