Our High Streets, now mostly empty, were once thriving, hives of activity and movement. With the rapid rise of e-commerce how are they going to reinvent themselves as the quintessential lively centers of our cities again?
Think back to why we went High Street Shopping. Was it just to buy something we needed or was coming home with a bag, top and receipt just a consequence? We went to window shop, look around, or as we usually said when a salesperson approached just to “browse.” We went for the experience; for the feeling of being alive, for the people, for the colors, the inspiration, for hanging out, and getting a coffee. The High Street was an experience.
Bringing on the new-era of retail sales
As customers shop online, brands launch online stores trying to emulate their instore sales ceremony and ambience via optimized product descriptions and beautiful photos, stores sit empty and we sit home, wishing we could be back on the High Street bumping elbows and trying on shoes.
So let us purchase online, but we need the High Street. It was never just about buying the top. There is a way to bring it back to life for people, the community and for retail brands. Brands from electronics to fashion are catching on.
The Kindness Economy and the Ripple Effect on Business
Or at least that is the vision of the experienced British retail consultant Mary Portas who entrusts this crucial task to the “kindness economy” where people and the planet come first. Doing business while improving the quality of life. A revolution whose essence can be understood in the words used by Portas in an interview with The Guardian: “Don’t save the High Street – change it completely.”
She predicts a new ecosystem where those shops that manage to transform sales into a unique experience, provide excellent non-replicable services online and revolutionize static stores in dynamic habitats where people love to be together will survive. Atmospheres also sought by Oscar Farinetti who, at Lingotto in Turin, has just inaugurated Green Pea, the first green retail park in the world, where shopping is an ethical and sustainable experiential path.
Experiential shopping will save retail
In an effort to bring together our digital world with our local world and revitalize the retail sector and our spirits hard hit by lockdown, brands are turning to the shopping experience. The wow effect and visual storytelling, experientiality is the driving force for a new recovery in retail. The ingredients? A mix of entertainment, culture, tradition, contact with the brand, sales assistance and a touch of theatricality.
The “experience” that the High Street has always brought us.
Are you ready for experiential shopping?