Pedestrian-only zones probably help specific types of retail--"tourist" (using the term broadly) type of stuff for people walking around the pedestrian area for fun. But, honestly, cities aren't great for heavy/bulky shopping anyway.

I normally go into the tourist area of my nearest major city maybe a few times a year and mostly because my company has an office nearby. But I appreciate pedestrian zones when I travel. (Last time I was in Brussels, the new pedestrian zone almost made that area of one of my least favorite European capitals almost pleasant.)

The problem with pedestrian only zones is how to haul the bounty to the place you live. There are rarely good scalable solutions.

Both. It’s enjoyable to go shopping once in a while. If you get treated properly and it’s easy to go there, why not? Even a small increase in price is totally acceptable. But if none of those things apply, Amazon it is. This seems to have happened with my rather small city next to the Ruhrgebiet

If retail still exists, just not in inner cities, then it wasn't the Internet.