High street chains are losing out to Internet retailers for the very reason they rose up in the first place; lower prices, better range and improved convenience, argues Andy Budd, Managing director of Clearleft.
20 years ago we faced a crisis on the high street. Small local retailers were being forced out of business by high street chains who offered greater selection and more professional service at significantly cheaper rates. So newspapers bemoaned the death of the high street and laid the blame on big brands like Borders, Dixons and HMV.
Today we see similar stories, although now Internet retailers are the baddies and our beloved high street chains are under threat. How times change. The irony is, the high street chains are losing out to Internet retailers for the very reason they rose up in the first place; lower prices, better range and improved convenience.
So should we cry foul and blame the bigger known e-commerce companies for having too much power? All we’ll be complaining about is the fact that they capitalised on the web and outmanoeuvred their bricks-and-mortar competitors. So does it make sense to call out a business for being good at what it does? Wouldn’t it be more productive to see why some of these large chains failed and what small retailers and high street brands can do about it?
High street chains need to follow in the footsteps of the supermarkets and start retooling. Stop just focusing on physical stores and invest some serious money into online activities. This will undoubtedly bleed some companies dry, but it will only be prolonging the inevitable. The ones that make the transition will hopefully be stronger than ever.
So should we bemoan the loss of average retailers selling average products which supply a poor customer experience? Or should we be thankful of the forest fire which is raging on the high street and look at ways we can nurture the news shoots that spring up?
I for one favour diversity over homogeneity and would like to see the UK become a nation of shopkeepers once again.
By Andy Budd
Managing Director
www.Clearleft.com