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\nWeek in, week out it seems we read about another retailer that has bitten the dust. High streets are becoming emptier \u2013 with 10% of shops empty, and even major stores like Debenhams, Marks and Spencer and House of Fraser closing locations, can UK high streets survive?<\/p>\n
eCommerce is often blamed for the downturn of the high street. Lower overheads mean that eCommerce retailers can provide lower prices for customers \u2013 and who hasn\u2019t seen an item while shopping and then searched for a better price online? And with eCommerce sales projected to exceed \u20ac200 billion in 2019<\/a>, up by almost 15% on last year, it\u2019s clear that customers are in fact still spending.<\/p>\n Fortunately for retailers, it\u2019s not all doom and gloom. While many have assumed<\/a> that retailers with bricks and mortar locations must succeed online, there are brands that are proving otherwise. The darling of UK high street retail, Primark, is still growing, even without an eCommerce presence, and 74% of customers say they prefer to shop instore because they can see things and try them before buying. That means there\u2019s still a place for UK high streets to succeed.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s take our cue from Amazon. Undoubtedly the world\u2019s biggest eCommerce presence, Amazon are now moving to high street locations. Sure, they might not have opened stores on every high street yet, but Amazon Lockers<\/a> are creeping into more and more locations across the UK. The cashless Amazon Go<\/a> store formats are gradually creeping into American cities, and surely it\u2019s only a matter of time before they get here. But if Amazon see a future for high streets, then the future isn\u2019t dismal \u2013 it\u2019s just different.<\/p>\n Talking of cashless stores, Sainsbury\u2019s are also increasing their use of technology to work with consumer demands. They launched their first checkout-free store<\/a> in April, using mobile technology to process payments. The Holborn Circus store has been very successful \u2013 around 82% of transactions are completed without cash. With this success, Sainsbury\u2019s have said that they\u2019ll be using the information gained from this location to help them develop this store format and extend the programme further.<\/p>\n Like we said, it\u2019s all about adapting to consumer habits. Customers expect an omnichannel experience, and that means using technology to put the customer first. Oasis, the UK high street fashion retailer are taking their mobile experience in-store. Their sales advisors are armed with iPads<\/a>, allowing them to find exact stock levels. If the store is out of stock of an item, the advisors can take an order, and payment on the iPad to be delivered to customers directly. Further, the iPads can take payments for in-store purchases too, helping the store manage queuing at the checkout at peak times. With customers also using the website and mobile app (and click and collect in-store available), it\u2019s obvious that Oasis have thought carefully about their target customer and how they want to shop.<\/p>\n Retailers need to look to the retail giants, but unfortunately, there\u2019s definitely not a universal strategy that can be applied to every business. Some eCommerce businesses can grow with high street locations \u2013 some high street businesses might do better to focus their efforts online.<\/p>\n Advice for bricks and mortar retailers<\/strong><\/p>\n Advice for eCommerce retailers<\/strong><\/p>\n Not all our advice will be applicable to all businesses \u2013 this isn\u2019t a one-size-fits-all solution. And we\u2019ve thought about the high street here, but there\u2019s a lot more technology being developed that retailers both on and offline should keep a careful watch on. Even if we just consider Amazon\u2019s developments, there is the Transparency<\/a> anti-counterfeiting programme, drone delivery<\/a>, in-home delivery<\/a> without a resident\u2019s presence, ordering via Alexa<\/a> \u2013 and that\u2019s before we look at what else is being developed by other major industry players.<\/p>\n High street retail isn\u2019t dead \u2013 it\u2019s just not the same beast we used to know. To survive, retailers need to adapt \u2013 and that eCommerce isn\u2019t the enemy \u2013 in fact, it can be quite the opposite. With careful use of technology, and partnerships, retailers can ensure customers continue to visit the high street for years to come \u2013 there\u2019ll just be changes to why they visit.<\/p>\n About the Author<\/strong><\/p>\n Tejas Dave, Founder and CEO of eBusiness Guru<\/a> and Avasam<\/a>, has been helping eCommerce businesses worldwide since 2010. Avasam is a platform that allows wholesalers and sellers to collaborate. Tejas is revolutionising the shipping industry and creating a new level of financial stability with the aim of creating 5,000+ jobs within the UK. Tejas is using technology and automation to provide solutions to e commerce challenges by removing the limitations that are currently placed on what and where people can sell. More information is available at www.avasam.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Week in, week out it seems we read about another retailer that has bitten the dust. So, how can UK high streets survive? Read on to learn more..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":422,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16830"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/422"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16830"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16830\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16909,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16830\/revisions\/16909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16830"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16830"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16830"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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