Online Takes Over the World of Retail | OnTop Media Blog

The future of the high street is a bleak one. While a dystopian depiction of the desolate remains of a once bustling hive of activity, ruefully scattered with mournful shoppers carrying sandwich boards emblazoned with apocalyptic statements exclaiming that ?The end is nigh? is, admittedly, a little on the dramatic side, it?s safe to say that the internet has irreversibly changed the world of retail.

But is this dreary prediction (minus the proclamations of impending doom) all that unbelievable? A number of once popular chains have already collapsed in a year that is still in its infancy, leaving yet more gaping holes in the already beleaguered high street. Can physical stores escape from the shadow cast by the looming cloud of the internet? Probably not. Thousands of shops face closure in the coming years as online shopping surges in popularity, blurring the lines between physical and virtual in a move that has long been forecast.

In order to avoid The Death of The High Street, retailers need to embrace change rather than try to fight against it. As technology evolves, shops must adapt to make it work in their favour in order to meet the changing demands of the consumer; while the internet may represent a challenge to offline retailers, it also brings with it the opportunity for growth and expansion.

So how can bricks and mortar stores make the most of the internet? Providing customers with in-store features that enhance their shopping experience is a great way of encouraging customers onto the high street. Many shops are now offering free Wi-Fi to customers, allowing them to use their smartphones whilst in the shop to check prices and read reviews about potential purchases. Stores that are managing to keep up with technology already have smartphone apps or mobile sites which enable customers to order products while on the move, while some department stores provide a ?click and collect? service where shoppers order online and then pick their items up from a store.

But ? and this is a big ?but? ? there?s little chance of physical shops regaining the glory days they enjoyed pre-internet. Like your Nan would tell you, ?things aren?t what they used to be?, and while we?re not quite at the tumbleweed stage of high street desertion just yet, the numbers are certainly dwindling. Online sales are predicted to reach ?43bn by 2015, and on the back of the most successful Christmas period that e-commerce has ever experienced, it?s looking increasingly likely that this forecast will be exceeded. The demand for physical stores is decreasing steadily as consumers become savvier to the bargains that are available online, and, as the recent victims prove, businesses that don?t successfully bridge the gap between online and physical retail become prey to the predators of the web.

Any business that is not selling online needs to ask itself why not. Whichever way you look at it, the internet has changed the way we think about shopping ? the effect of this being that it has become a much more technology-based process. A survey by Econsultancy revealed that nearly a quarter (24%) of UK consumers used a mobile device to carry out their Christmas shopping in 2012, with 11% using a smartphone and 13% a tablet. The numbers will continue to grow as the internet becomes more accessible and devices get smarter, making shopping an increasingly more out-of-store experience.

Whether you run a retail business from a physical shop location or trade solely online, your focus for 2013 should be on creating a stable internet presence from which you can successfully sell products and build your brand. Digital is now a major part of the shopping process, and it is vital to the success of any retailer that they implement an online strategy. We provide some of the most extensive e-commerce packages around, so if you?re thinking of selling online or would like a brand new website for 2013, get in touch to see how we can help. Heed our warning: online is the future.

Discover the wonderful world of e-commerce here:?www.ontopecommerce.co.uk

Source: http://www.ontop.co.uk/blog/ecommerce/online-takes-over-the-world-of-retail/

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