2013-07-09 – London
The reverse revolution – retailers starting online and moving to the high-street
Closed shops and empty high streets have become a familiar sight in many towns across the UK in recent years, with major brands like HMV, Comet and Blockbuster shutting their stores for good. Yet despite the current tough economic climate, a recent trend has emerged of online shops opening bricks and mortar shops on the high street.
It might seem foolish to expand from selling online to a physical store presence at a time when so many high street retailers are struggling. Retailing on the high street has a tendency to bring high fixed costs and a massive increase in the complexity of the business. Yet online retailers are using innovative methods and mirroring their online business models to ensure that their physical stores are just as successful as their e-commerce presence.
Online retailers have identified that their online stores cannot provide the full shopping experience and that there is merit in giving customers the opportunity to feel and touch products. Companies such as online print business Moo.com are using small premises on short leases, and others are using pop-up premises to maximise sales during busy shopping periods.
This reverse revolution promises to match the power and innovative abilities of online retailing with the sensory experience offered by a high street presence. It could well prove a potent combination.
