Online shopping hasn’t killed the high street. Poor choices by the board has
As House of Fraser announces closures and barely misses the fate of BHS, Maplin, Toys R Us and sadly many more, analysts start to consider what went wrong. I’ve read a lot and summarising it all, many say it’s down to the online shopping boom killing the high street. It’s a bit like saying video killed the radio star. Except we know that’s not true. Radio is thriving so why can’t the same be true for the high street? I think there’s another way to look at it. People like you and me want and enjoy going shopping. I know people who love going food shopping and won’t give it up entirely even if grocery deliveries make far more sense for their busy lives. I also know people who find browsing, especially in department stores, the best way to whittle down what they want, and even find things they didn’t know they wanted. And the science of segmentation especially one where you look at attitudes only underlines this need for a high street experience. (more…)
