COULD THE UNIQUE IN STORE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE SAVE THE HIGH STREET?
By Natalie King
The current landscape
Spring has well and truly arrived, the days are longer, non-essential shops have reopened, people can gather with friends and family outdoors and the nation is on countdown for further easing of restrictions. It certainly feels like there’s a more positive outlook across the country.
The ongoing but successful rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine appears to be going a long way in helping boost confidence, and with this, we will no doubt see a shift in spending priorities and habits.
The purchase potential as restrictions continue to ease is significant, and with a strong and seemingly nationwide sentiment to ‘support local’ we will hopefully see the recovery of many high street retailers we have missed over the past year.
Encouraging Signs
March saw the third consecutive month of increases in 2021 in GSK’s consumer confidence barometer and Future PLC research tells us that Brits have amassed over £245bn in savings during lockdown, with 25% of that expected to be spent immediately or soon after lockdown ends. With the former insight to hand, as well as research pointing towards spending on major purchases too – we mustn’t ignore the importance and benefits of being in store vs shopping online.
But how can Retailers ensure they are driving footfall and encouraging customers to visit stores rather than make purchases online as we have all done rather habitually for over a year now.
What’s driving shoppers in store?
Online shopping, given the sophistication of today’s Ecommerce platforms, certainly has significant advantages. But let’s not forget the positive shopper experience that has kept the high streets thriving for decades.
The importance of having motivated teams cannot be underestimated when considering the potential for a positive and memorable customer experience that we just can’t compare to online shopping. Personalised experiences and advice, questions being answered on the spot, longed-for social interaction, easy returns and so on; all in all it’s a ‘feeling’ that’s created when in store.
A recent survey by media company Future found that almost half (45%) of all respondents have already started to research their planned purchases, with 57% of spend planned throughout Q2 – so now is the time to confirm plans if not already booked to reach customers during this expected retail spend peak.
Campaign Planning
It’s time for retail to shine, to show their point of difference and keep customers coming back for more! We are here to help with our targeting and planning expertise and can help you get creative with print solutions.
Contact the Insert Company team today
Email: inserts@insertcompany.co.uk
Tel: 020 7832 1582
