Major retailers have announced numerous store shutdowns in recent months, and the list will only grow longer, experts say.

Stores will disappear and survivors will shrink, as consumers turn to the Internet for their shopping, they explain.

The overall amount of retail space nationwide will drop between one-third and one-half within the next five to 10 years, Michael Burden, a principal with Excess Space Retail Services, tells CNBC.

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"I believe we're going to hear a lot more announcements in the coming months," he said. It's "an indication that there is a shift in the retail environment, and it's one that will continue."

During the holiday season, Internet shopping rose 10 percent on desktop devices, and that figure will probably rise to 12 percent when mobile devices are included, according to data tracker comScore.

"Stores are making a long-term bet on technology," Belus Capital Advisors analyst Brian Sozzi tells CNBC. "It simply doesn't make strategic sense to enter a new 15-year lease, as consumers are likely to continue curtailing physical visits to the mall."

He predicts a "tsunami of store closures across the U.S."

Some economists were heartened by the overall 0.2 percent increase in retail sales for December.

"It's encouraging as we exit the year, particularly with some of the headwinds that we had with a little bit more challenging weather and the shorter holiday-spending period," Russell Price, a senior economist at Ameriprise Financial, tells Bloomberg.

"The consumer is still a driver" of the economy.

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