I’ve read so many articles talking about the death of the high street, about how many people now use their mobile as part of their shopping experience, that one would think that nothing else matters. I could (and have) poke holes at the statistics and the way hyperbole is used to whip up an audience, but more than that, the data doesn’t stack with my experience. Mobile is a great tool sometimes, but how does it actually fit into a real shopping experience? More importantly, is the high street truly descending into irrelevancy, or is it fighting back?
There are so many surveys, but data can be used to tell pretty much any story – so on a recent trip to the UK I thought I’d add a little qualitative research to the mix: I’d go shopping! The result – Store Wars: The high street versus e-street….
Shopper Mission One: Video Game for Daughter
‘Game’ is a small chain of video game stores – it went into administration a year or two ago but is hanging on despite the apparent ascendency of downloads and Amazon.
First spot – second hand games. She’s seven, so not totally up on what is the “latest thing” game-wise so I’m seeing a bargain to be had. Thrifty-Me gets excited. My problem is that most of the games don’t seem suitable for a seven year old – I stalk the shelves until one of the staff approaches me. His enthusiasm, plus the fact that he has clearly played all of these games personally, fills me with positivity, admiration, and just a hint of jealousy… Before I know it I have three games in my hands, and I’ve been in the shop seven minutes. Time to check the mobile option…I price check with Amazon in-store…
Amazon got me going pretty quickly as I could scan the products direct with my phone (I’m Showrooming, I thought to myself!)… but then when I asked for a list of used products, the app hung. Second time around I could buy three games, for a saving of less than a dollar. The games-geek shop assistant had won the day – he was, to me, worth spending the extra cents on.
Shopper Mission Two: Gift for brother in law
The consumer here is a real foodie, who buys food online from organic suppliers, and roasts his own coffee. Here on the ‘dying” Highstreet, is “Zest for Taste”, which sells, amongst other things, oils and vinegars and dressings – hundreds of oils in fact! Tasting stands abound, and I literally breakfasted on what was here. Tasted, tried, gift wrapped and all with a smile.
On my mobile I rapidly found the Olive Oil Store – which had a mind boggling array of oils – but without the ability to sample it was hard to tell the difference between the multitude of products. Too much – too confusing, and not easy to navigate on an iPhone easily either. The personal touch, the gift wrapping, and a free breakfast worth of sampling – HighStreet wins again!
Shopper Mission Three: Deodorant for me
Here the consumer is the shopper. We all forget something when we travel, and I am no exception. Poundland sits proud on the high street. In less than ninety seconds I am at the personal care section, faced with Right Guard or Gillette, both for a pound. Out comes the mobile – tesco.com – the same product is 2.89. The net effect of e-street? I bought three deodorants! Winner – the high street!
Shopper Mission Four: Anniversary Card for my parents
I hate Clinton cards. Greeting cards are overpriced, and the shops to me are a haven to tackiness. But it’s my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary tomorrow and I need a card. I walk in. Thousands of cards. My heart sinks; but then a member of staff asks if she can help, and guides me to a small but tidy range of Golden Wedding Anniversary cards. Time? 45 seconds.
Online Hallmark try quite hard. The only app I found was for sending e-cards, so I went to their (not mobile enabled) web page. The upside was that I could personalize the message inside the card (which I thought was very cool). The downside was it kept making my browser crash, so I never actually managed to complete a purchase. Winner? High street again.
Don’t give up on the high street yet
Mobile is great I’m sure, and I know for many shopping missions it adds huge value. But on my shop, consistently, bricks beat clicks every time. Partly because many mobile services actually aren’t that good, but also because bricks is fighting back, and delivering experiences that are hard to match online. Personal engagement, sampling, simplicity.
Manufacturers should remember that high streets are still packed with shoppers; and even those of us who are mobile enabled, still use stores. Making sure that the money spent on mobile platforms makes sense versus the reality of the shoppers’ world is critical to maximize returns from that investment.
Retailers have to understand the value that they can create, and the obvious advantages they have versus an online channel. It’s not all about price. It never was and it never will be.
Together manufacturers and retailers must understand which shoppers are on the high street versus online: understand what those shoppers are looking for, and develop solutions that meet shoppers’ needs wherever they are.
