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Is the High Street suffering to online sales?
By DBL | January 4, 2011
I visit many business events and local business meetings, some entirely eCommerce related and others of a more ‘traditional’ business networking nature. The local meetings have the majority of local bricks and mortar (B&M) High Street business people in attendance. I hear some say how business has been hit very hard by the likes of eBay and online sales and I am surprised that there are so few of these SME’s that have embraced the power of online sales platforms. After all, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em, to coin a phrase!
Many of these local independent SME’s are not online at all and this should be priority on any business plan in 2011 especially, if done correctly, with the relatively low start up costs and high traffic levels that the likes of eBay UK can provide. Run this in tandem with an eCommerce website and dividends will follow with some work.
Big names like Argos, House of Fraser, Schuh, Littlewoods and even Tesco are reaping the rewards in their eBay Outlet Stores and websites as well as their traditional High Street stores. By covering all angles and not having all your eggs in one basket you can spread a wide net to catch the sales in a bigger pond.
Argos found a niche when they opened on the High Street bringing a hybrid of catalogue browsing without the delivery delay. Having searched the High Street before Christmas for that ‘child must have’ item without success and ending up in an out of town Toy R Us to get it, maybe the High Street just can’t give the choice any more that the web can, due to storage restraints. Hence the time for an internet order booth within your B&M store for later delivery?
I have to add one more thing, a plus to the eBay sale when buying from a good eBay Seller with a good reputation for service, if you have a problem you’ll get it sorted as there’s a lot at stake if you give a bad ‘buyer experience’. I have to say of some shops on the High Street, the service is atrocious some can’t even stop talking to colleagues to serve you.
What’s your experience of service and supply in you local High Street?
(award for typing ‘High Street’ loads of times in one post … thank you)
Topics: eBay, General Meanderings, General Observations | No Comments »