Time for a Retail Refresh?

I love shopping! I love getting out into the stores and touching and feeling and trying, I’m not particularly a fan of online shopping. Despite how easy and convenient it can be, I also find it a bit impersonal and I’m still trying to go against the grain and resist the urge to splurge online.

Shopping for me is being inspired as I walk around the store, experimenting and trying things that are out of my comfort zone, seeing colour palettes laid out and displayed like a showroom and the merchandising exhibited like models on a catwalk.  It’s a nice feeling when shop assistants chat and get excited with you, although in past experiences I have only found this in higher end stores. It’s exciting to walk out of a store having felt acknowledged, inspired and happy with your experience. 

I’ve spent a large amount of time in my career working in retail and it is not easy! (If you do the job properly) Hours can be long and the pay is not great, but, retail staff play a vital roll in representing the brand they work for, it can be super fun and rewarding and it is the only thing that internet shopping can not offer. Whether it is a highstreet brand or a designer boutique, it is important to remember that every detail adds to the consumers experience and therefore will dictate if the customer wants to return for the same experience again. I know this from working within a few luxury stores where customer service and brand memory was an absolute priority. 

With that being said, recently I’ve been finding going out and shopping less and less exciting. With the focus being all online, stores seem to be “giving in” and allowing the retail ship to slowly sink. I find myself just gazing over and scanning the store quickly, only to find the same items that I saw in the previous store I was in. Brands should not be saving their best collections and collaborations for online, but instead have a good visual rotation in store and use their merchandisers to maximise the potential of their retail space and using their online presence to get people to events and doing in-store promotions to encourage footfall.

House of Fraser recently announced that they will be closing a number of stores, including their flagship in Oxford Street. Now, this did not come as a shock to me, even without taking into consideration the huge online competition that they face, there are other brands who are far more attentive to their customers needs and who react and respond to changes within their audience. House of Fraser hasn’t really changed or attempted to change they way they do things, and this is the result. 

On the other end of the spectrum brands like Flannels will be opening on the high street, including a flagship on Tottenham Court Road as of next month. They are a great example of a brand who understands that there is a need within their customer base to have a physical presence as well as an online presence. This might be the proof that there is still a demand for high street shopping and the whole experience that comes with it.

Last week, I went to a talk hosted by Simon Beckerman, founder of E Commerce site Depop. Simon was humble, honest and very insightful about the industry. Simon made an interesting comment about one needing the other, and how independent stores with a strong e-commerce will do well because they will be able to maintain both the in-store experience and online presence at a high quality and therefore have a loyal customer base. 

So what will the next stage be?

More coffee shops on our high streets, more restaurants, more convenience stores? What about fashion? What about cosmetics? Will concept stores be something we start seeing more of. 

I think Independents and concept stores will thrive and we will see brands offering not just clothes, shoes, but also lifestyle, with the option of having ‘in store coffee spots’ and in store instagram locations offering a more personal and convenient experience. (To match the internets ability to click your way through departments).

It would be great to see more high street stores offer tailoring, personalisation, customisation and to see them collaborating with each other, utilising technology to their advantage. 

Of course with the uncertain future of Brexit, and the fast fashion online stores not slowing down anytime soon, who knows what might happen to our high street, but I hope we find a way to embrace the change and more stores return to prioritising the experience of shopping. I hope we see more affordable and accessible fashion from British designers and brands that will support our economy going forward. I hope E-commerce and online stores will be able to work harmoniously with the high street by inspiring and innovating the ways in which we shop, and I hope that shopping becomes inspiring and fun again and not just about how much we can get and how quickly we can get it.