We just don't do enough that we could easily do to balance the options better.
I have no idea if a good retail high street is a good thing or not. I would love to see the data.
If it is it should be saved or saved to a degree. We could easily make all retail sales over the counter zero VAT rated or similar that would immediately help. Or increase tax to online businesses or loads of other ways that could balance the opportunities and create fairness.
The issue I feel is much deeper and more far reaching. We consume too much and need to reduce this. We know the effects on the planet and need to take action. This is not an unknown....we know this now for a fact.
I like many other have an Amazon prime account and use it a great deal. Amazon have built a really useful system for people with very busy lives and very little time. Now tax them a premium over less advantaged businesses. They have created almost a Monopoly that is only getting stronger and more powerful. With massive corporate giants like Amazon, Apple, Google, Facebook and the like they are almost too big and too powerful to be controlled or more importantly regulated now. A few clipping of wings is required I feel.
If we all travelled less, consumed less and demanded less then consumption would reduce dramatically. Great for the planet but terrible for the economy I fear. However it needs to happen so we need to change how we live, work and replace somehow the whole in the economy we will need to create.