The importance of an online profile for high street stores
In the current online market, many large online traders hold an advantage over the smaller individual traders that exist on the high street.
Many of these smaller stores lack a significant online presence, meaning their products are often overlooked when consumers are shopping online.
One in seven shops across Britain’s high streets are empty and now MyHigh.St, the British Independent Retailers Association, and Rakuten’s Play.com have joined forces to make a difference.
They are joined by Action for Market Towns and the Association of Town and City Management in a bid to boost the fortunes of independent retailers.
The group is called target200 and is launching an ecommerce network to put smaller independent shopkeepers on the online map.
Planning for the future
The future of the Great British high street could hang in the balance, as efforts are required to drive footfall and sales in order to keep the smaller retailers in business.
Meanwhile, the homogenisation of the high street is also a growing concern as locations lose their character while a lack of competition fails to drive innovation.
MyHigh.St aims to create a network of digital High Streets where people can see what goods are offered online and take advantage of a click and collect system in a business restructuring move which makes a great deal of sense.
This would increase the numbers of visitors to shops and has the potential to raise sales. So far 200 retailers have signed up from all over the country.
Harnessing the power of the internet is important as it allows smaller businesses to compete and showcase their products, an important aspect to growth.
Further competition then drives innovation and expansion, which consequently should benefit all business involved.
It is hoped that MyHigh.St will make a difference to the way that people choose to shop, as it opens up an increasing number of opportunities for those searching for specialist or individual products.
Co-founder Loaye Agabani hopes it will help the high street to thrive rather than merely survive, and creating an online profile for these smaller retailers could be just the start.
By Phil Smith