- Get your shop / service / product online, and do it now.
That is all.
Seriously though, both Ocado and the Co-op have been boosted by online sales; luxury womenswear retailer Hobbs reported a 60% surge in online sales over Christmas; and the high street lost out during the holiday period. Bricks and mortar shops reported a rise of just 1.5% in sales – compared to an average 18% rise online.
Consumers are more comfortable buying products via the internet now; laws have been clarified to ensure returns and vouchers are honoured. It eliminates the stressful elements of high street shopping, particularly for parents or people who work full time (it still bemuses me that high street shops have the same opening hours as people who have the disposable income to buy their products). It also circumvents the poor weather which affects footfall to traditional retail stores, and enables consumers to research where to find the best deals. Sites like eBay, Amazon and Etsy have enabled micro-businesses to sell online, and medium size retailers have found affordable web design solutions helpful.
Exceptions to this preference for online buying include luxury fabrics, sofas, beds – items that people want to experience or touch. Old fashioned customer service and consumer experience makes a huge difference as well. Basics include quick, efficient service and approachable staff. Done right, you get small boutiques stocking local products, hosting value added events such as networking or previews, proprietors that will source specific products for customers and shops that are almost a tourist attraction in themselves, as well as a retailer.
I used HMV’s ‘Click and Collect’ service recently, as I needed to get a present for someone at short notice. I went along in my lunchbreak. The assistant I spoke to spent 20 minutes to find the wrong DVD, and had to go back – it took him another 10 minutes to find the correct copy. He then didn’t know how to search the system for a CD I also wanted to buy. Instead I could have spent 5 minutes on Amazon, found both items quickly – and more cheaply than HMV’s offering. Another time I went into Timpsons to have a bag repaired. Two of the assistants were practically dry humping, and the third was so unhelpful that I’ve never been back. They also didn’t bother to respond to a complaint I lodged.
India Knight has written about the problem of poor customer service in her witty retail bible The Shops (and the way her usually polite and charming mother would react to them). Mary Portas has made a part of her living revitalising struggling shops and customer service is usually the first component. Shops on the high street can rarely compete with internet retailers when it comes to the ever important price points (bear in mind online shops are *much* cheaper to maintain than a full storefront) but they can provide a better experience, more hands on customer service and the convenience of being able to pick products up on the same day.
Takeaways
- Get a website developed.
- Open an online shop.
- Find a reliable and quick delivery service.
- Ensure impeccable customer service in your high street shop.
- Respond to complaints quickly and politely.
- Add value to the customer’s experience in any way you can.
- Ensure your shop floor is attractive, uncluttered and easy to navigate.
