Why Retail Stores Are More Important Than Ever

Many believe retail stores are dead. We believe their time has just started.

Nothing has pushed more people towards online shopping than the Covid pandemic. Since its start, most of the retail chains have been forced to stay shut, a lot of them permanently now. Even people who weren’t comfortable with ecommerce platforms have now warmed up to them. According to a report in The Guardian, around 17,500 chain stores shut down in Great Britain’s high streets, shopping centres and retail parks. Surely this must have sounded the death knell for retail stores?

During all these developments, Specscart is getting ready to launch a new, large eyewear store in Manchester. More are set to follow next year. What’s our secret sauce?

A Modern Day Retail Story

Of course, we are slightly biased here. We came into existence when Sid Sethi, then a student at The University of Manchester won the Albert Gubay Award. We were rewarded with a retail space at the Walkden City Centre, which marked our beginning. Although it was located in the rundown part of the mall with minimal footfall, it helped us to put a foot in the door. It gave us an insight into how people actually perceive glasses, and what we need to do to change that perception. This insight wouldn’t have been possible with just a website.

Now 4 years later, we are about to move into a much bigger store in the same mall, to create our first experience centre. This journey was punctuated with another store opening in Bury (complete with an in-house lab), a suburb in Manchester itself.

This is not to say that this growth would have been possible without ecommerce. In fact our website forms a major chunk of our business, and allows us to sell frames globally. Whether it is the Falkland Islands or Malaysia, the Specscart dream is now reaching different places across the globe.

But no matter how big strides we take, we will always remember our first step. Since the very beginning the Walkden community has given us a lot of support and encouragement. Our vision has always been to provide a memorable and pleasant buying experience to customers. Customers saw our genuine efforts and fully backed our independent business. It also enabled us to form family like relations with them, with a lot of our business coming from repeat customers.

Interaction > Transaction

Research suggests that people still need physical stores in their lives. Shoppers often want to see and touch products before they buy, even when those products stay in the packaging. More than that, though, I believe the in-store experience defines retail for people. Touching products is part of that experience, but helpful staff, well-organized showrooms, unexpected activities, smart technologies and other components all combine to create exceptional experiences.

Legitimise The Customer Service Reps

Instead of limiting team roles to salespeople and cashiers, train store staff to fulfill more engaging purposes. Educate employees more about the products and brands in the store so they can act as friends and consultants to shoppers. Someone shopping online can’t walk around with a real human and get advice, but those human connections can differentiate retail from e-commerce alternatives.

Host Special Events

I’ve found that today’s consumers, especially young ones, love experiences. Give them what they want by hosting special events in stores. A kitchenware shop, for instance, could bring in a pop-up from a local bakery. A movie theater could join with the local comic shop to set up a merch tent before new releases. Make sure to include photo opportunities and easy sharing suggestions to help spread the word on social media.

Integrate Digital And Physical Loyalty

When shoppers set up accounts on store websites, those accounts typically do nothing but put users on lists for marketing emails and remember shipping addresses. By giving loyalists a few perks in stores, retailers can give shoppers a reason to keep coming back. Even non-chain stores can get in on the action. Notify loyalists about special events, provide free perks or exclusive services, and give people more physical reasons to sign up.

Retail remains a challenging landscape, but for industry veterans, that’s nothing new. We believe e-commerce will continue to expand. Customers will continue to seek new and better experiences. Savvy retailers will look to the future as they create the delightful experiences modern audiences crave.