The high street is dead. Long live the high street!

On December 5th, I authored this article about the future of the high street in The Telegraph’s weekend supplement.

Covid-19 has caused unprecedented disruption to our town, city, village, market and shopping centres.

It is also forcing the transition to a more intelligent, collaborative, dynamic and sustainable future high street.

We call this ‘High Street 3.0’ and it is now emerging quickly, creating new opportunities for wealth creation and social impact everywhere.

Do you want to play a role in this reinvention and revival of the high street too? We want to hear from you

#SaveTheHighStreet
#HighStreet3.0

Published in Telegraph Spark 5 December 2020

The post The high street is dead. Long live the high street! first appeared on Savethehighstreet.org.

Members of our Retailer Advisory Board, as well as representatives from industry leading retail companies, met to discuss the modern high street at our High Street Conference. The panel discussed topics near and dear to UK independents, such as the importance of data in retail and the opportunities for getting discovered on the high street. The panel also elaborated on the options that retailers have, to aid them in fulfilling their customers’ needs and growing their business. Far from the usual doom-and-gloom that we hear about the high street, this panel of retailers and industry leaders show real confidence in the future of UK independent retail.

So what can we learn from this discussion?

This panel was very information rich. There’s an awful lot that independent shopkeepers can learn from this discussion. Our panellists had a lot to say about data, discovery and fulfilment. Modern retailers need to understand and optimise their business, in each of these three areas, if they’re going to stay competitive on the high street. There’s a lot to learn about the use of data, the factors influencing discovery and the tools that exist to aid retailers in fulfilling orders. So what are some of the key points to take away from this discussion?

Data can help you understand (and target) your customers

Successful modern retail is data-driven. Retailers gather experience selling to their customers. They understand what people buy. When in the year, the week, or the day they make their purchases. There’s a lot that can be understood about a business, through experience. But it certainly helps to have some numbers and statistics to back the numbers up. In the panel discussion, our Retailer Advisory Board members talk about the effect that installing an EPOS system had on their company. EPOS systems allow retailers to track their sales and stock and can provide data analytics on these areas of business. With this data, shopkeepers can have numbers and stats to inform and support their decisions going forward.

Similarly, customer data offers the opportunity, in advertising, to better target customers. Integrating data from sources such as your website or EPOS system, to inform your advertising, you can optimise to target only the kind of consumer that’s looking for your products. Modern marketing isn’t about mass-reach. You don’t need to hit millions of uninterested to people to sell your products. You need to target the interested few, that are going to be enticed into your store, by your advertising. Using data to make your advertising more effective means your marketing budget can go further.

The role of the web in discovery

It’s one of the biggest issues of modern retail; can the internet really help you get more customers? And the answer, from members of our Retailer Advisory Board, is yes, but you’ll have to put in the effort to make it work. The internet is like a great theatre, full of performances and with an audience of millions. You can’t just turn up and expect to be an overnight hit. You’ve got to put in the work to attract an audience and engage your viewers, to keep them coming back. Rowena Howie, of Revival Retro Boutique, talks about how she grew her Instagram following into the tens of thousands, and is seeing the growth it’s given her bricks-and-mortar business. Similarly, Simon England, of The London Cycle Workshop, speaks about how blog posts, on their website, keep customers engaged online. In the end, it’s this sort of engagement that will convert website visitors into in-store customers.

The demand for convenience and options for fulfilment

Consumers today have very high expectations of retailers. Every big chain is offering delivery these days. Most offer click-and-collect too. If independents are going to stay competitive, they need to meet their customer’s expectations of convenience. Fortunately, there are plenty of options for independents to get started offering greater convenience and fulfilling their customers needs. For example, delivery services (such as CitySprint Health and Urb-it, who took part in the discussion above) are expanding their reach all over the country, making it easier and easier for independents to offer convenient delivery for their customers, wherever they may be. Meanwhile, advances in the field of payments technology are allowing retailers to offer ever more convenient forms of payment. With the advent of contactless payments and even phone payments technology, you can bring in more customers by accepting whatever payments they’d prefer to make.

There’s an awful lot more we can learn from our retailers and industry leaders. There’s a lot that we couldn’t fit in this video, or this article. So make sure to stay tuned for more discussions, debates and independent retail stories from our conference!

If you have any thoughts or questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

And don’t forget to check out our partners’ special offers on all things retail, on our special offers page.

The post Retailers and Industry Leaders Talk Data, Discovery and Fulfilment in UK Retail first appeared on Savethehighstreet.org.

Everyone is online these days. As a retailer in modern times, you’ve got to engage customers online and bring them into your bricks-and-mortar store. Fortunately, connecting your online and real-world presence isn’t as difficult as it once was. With retail technologies like ePOS, you can bring the online and in-store sides of your business together.

Petit Miracles uses Vend ePOS to help them keep track of and connect their online and in-store sales and customers. This helps them understand their business and their community. Without wasting time on more old-fashioned tracking and analysis, the folks at Petit Miracles have more time for other important areas of retail. Like selling, fulfilling customer’s needs and keeping their products interesting and creative. They’re an award-winning independent for a reason, you know.

But if you’re wondering what exactly an ePOS can do for you, well there are a few things to bear in mind. First and foremost, ePOS means tracking. It connects to your sales and stock data to keep track of what’s selling and when. This gives you valuable data that you can use to make data-driven decisions to benefit your shop and improve your sales. You don’t need to make assumptions or take stabs in the dark when important decisions need to be made. With an ePOS you can receive sales reports that back up your decisions with real, helpful stats. The other big advantage of ePOS is that it integrates with everything else your shop does. They can connect with ecommerce systems, staffing rota software and even customer loyalty programmes. EPOS is a great modern retail technology that many independents aren’t taking full advantage of.

Take a 30 day free trial of Vend ePOS – the ePOS provider used by Petit Miracles themselves!

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

The post Retailer Talks: Connecting Online and In-Store first appeared on Savethehighstreet.org.

With an average growth of business by 20% in their first year, Lightspeed customers see the difference. Join Lightspeed today and take advantage of this exclusive offer with 50% off eCommerce with a purchase of Lightspeed Retail and a free Bluetooth scanner worth £169.99 as a welcome gift with any contract signed for a minimum of 1 year.

Lightspeed Retail. The EPOS system that simplifies your business.

The post Get 50% Off eCommerce with Lightspeed Retail: Make Data Driven Decisions first appeared on Savethehighstreet.org.

Point-of-sale software can do an awful lot for your shop. All the big chains have been using point-of-sale software for years and with retail becoming an ever more competitive field, independents can’t afford to fall behind. Currently as few as one in three independent retailers are using POS software. The rest are running on pen-and-paper, or excel spreadsheets.

For some retailers these old-fashioned ways of handling sales and inventory are a point of pride. It’s a good feeling to know you’re keeping up without having to rely on these modern, electronic systems. But by passing these duties on to an ePOS system, that keeps track of your business automatically you can focus your efforts on other important parts of your business that can’t be run by a machine. Without having to fill in spreadsheets or hand-count inventory, you and your staff can save a huge amount of time. And remember, time is money, especially in retail.

If used properly, an ePOS system can be your new star employee. But first you need to know just what exactly point-of-sale software can do. Which is an awful lot. From tracking stock, to following your employees’ sales figures, to keeping track of loyal customers through their card payments. Point-of-sale software can do it all. Even if you’re one of the independents that has POS software in place, you might not be making the most of it. Many retailers don’t realise the full extent of what point-of-sale software can do for you. well, really, it all starts with tracking.

Tracking, Tracking, Tracking

And yet more tracking. It’s one of the most fundamental uses of point-of-sale software. You can use it to track sales and instantly connect your sales figures to your stock. You can use it to automatically monitor what your customers are buying and when they like to make their purchases. You can keep an eye on which of your employees are making these sales. You can follow your loyal customers and what they like to buy.

As we’ve all heard before, knowledge is power. By tracking these stats you can shape how you sell and who you target. You can shape staff rotas so you have the manpower you need, at the times you need it most. You can keep track of when your best customers like to shop and make sure you’re there to greet them personally. A little knowledge can go a long way to helping your business thrive.

After Tracking Comes Analysis

Data is a valuable thing. With good analysis, data can inform even the toughest business decisions, letting you manage your business with confidence. And the thing is, your business has data. Data on every sale you make, every customer that buys from your shop, every item you sell. You have information on what sells when. You have info on which of your employees sells the most. Which of your customers buys the most when they shop. But most retailers aren’t making use of this data. Many retailers don’t realise that they have this data at their fingertips. Even if you do realise the value of it, getting this data together to analyse can be very time consuming. Fortunately, all good ePOS offer real-time sales reports, to keep you informed.

With the right point-of-sale software you can analyse all this data you collect to not just track what’s been going on, but also predict what will happen next. Knowing what sold well, at what points in a year means you can predict what will sell well, when, next year. Without this sort of data analysis you’ve got to make a lot of guesses and assumptions. With it, you can make confident, fact-driven decisions that are more likely to have a bigger, more positive impact on your business.

Make sure to check out this article from Ashley Gilgrist at ePOS provider Vend. It covers a lot of the reasons why independents are getting ePOS for their shops and why return buyers are willing to put more money into their ePOS.

Get a 30 day free trial of Vend’s EPOS for retail!

Lastly, if you have any further questions about point-of-sale software, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

The post Point-of-Sale Software: What Can it Do For You? first appeared on Savethehighstreet.org.

Many retailers worry about getting proper EPOS and inventory management systems in their store. Why worry? Well, many retailers already have a system for managing their inventory. Whether they keep pen-and-paper records, or an excel spreadsheet based filing system. Retailers are an adaptable breed of people. For these retailers, not having an EPOS system was a problem they overcame, with the resources they had at the time. But now, many of these retailers are happy with their method and don’t think they have the time or money to install a different system.

The Time and Money Myth

What you might not realise, is that having a professional EPOS system can actually save you time and money, in the long run. Many retailers believe that these professional systems are too complicated for their business. Running these systems would be time consuming and a waste of money. But this is far from the truth of the matter.

EPOS systems are designed to run themselves, without taking up too much of their owners time. These systems cut out all the time spent with pen or mouse in hand, tallying up lists of stock. Instead, your connected EPOS system can track stock as you sell. Giving you a report on your stock, without wasting any of your time or your employees time counting stock by hand.

So EPOS can save you time, but as we all know, time is money. Giving you more time to work on your shop means you can actually gain money by having an EPOS. A few hours of your time a week can be very valuable. By not spending your valuable time on things like inventory, you can attend to more pressing matters.

Save Time, Money and…

Of course, with time and money comes the most important thing of all: peace of mind. You won’t have to worry about finding the time to manage inventory and a little extra money always helps to ease the mind. With a professional EPOS system in place, you’ll have one less thing to worry about.

Take a FREE 30 day trial of Vend EPOS!

If you have any questions or you just want to get in touch, contact us here

The post Myths Debunked: How EPOS Can Save You Time and Money first appeared on Savethehighstreet.org.

XLN tailor products and services exclusively for Small British Businesses. From Hairdressers to Mechanics, Online Tech Start-Ups to Farmers, XLN are on the independent retailer’s side.

FREE Public Wifi, Unlimited Calls, Unlimited Fibre

Take advantage of this opportunity to give your store free wifi for customers, get yourself unlimited calls and all on the latest tech.

Seize this opportunity – was £30/month, now FREE for first 12 months, with a 24 month contract. £16.95 line rental for first 12 months only.

• Free public Wi-Fi
• Free set-up and super router
• Unlimited usage
• Unlimited UK landline and UK mobile calls
• Download speeds over twice as fast as the UK average
• Upload speeds around 10x faster than standard broadband
• £8/month unlimited calls

The post FREE Fibre Optic Public Wifi for Your Customers + Unlimited Calls first appeared on Savethehighstreet.org.

If you are in the market for Epos then there are a number of key questions you should be asking. Industry Leaders Lightspeed have outlined 6 key questions to ask when looking for the perfect Epos.

1. How does the Epos sync between in-store and online?

Now you may not think this applies to you if you are only selling in-store but you always want to keep your options open. The right POS can help you build your first online store. There is little doubt that stores with both online and offline presence can bring in more revenue that those with only one channel.

2. Does the POS empower your staff with well-designed tools?

Your Epos system should be able to provide your staff with all the information they need to answer customer questions immediately. Your employee are the faces of your brand and their needs should be considered when looking for the right technology for your store.

3. Is training and support part of what you’re buying?

Does the Epos system you are considering offer support to you and your employee’s? You don’t want to be left to solve any issues alone once the deal is done. Make sure you know what kind of ongoing support you will be offered.

4. Does the POS provide deep analysis and helpful reports?

You don’t have to have to estimate how well your business is doing. Technology can help you. Good Epos systems can show you how well your business is doing and the areas you need to improve on. There is no need to stumble around in the dark.

5. Can the POS help you create targeted marketing campaigns?

With the right POS system you can create targeted campaigns to customer about things they actually want to know about. The right Epos can help you improve relationships with customers.

6. Will the POS keep up with you as you grow?

When looking for your new POS make sure you consider what you may need in the future. Can the POS scale with your business? The cheapest system may not always be the best option.

For the full article and further advice on what to look for in your new Epos system click here.

Have you Joined The Movement? Click here and keep our high street thriving for generations to come.

The post Key questions to ask when buying Epos first appeared on Savethehighstreet.org.

Every shopkeeper knows their own busiest shop hours, but what about everyone else? It’s natural to be curious about little things like which times of day are busiest for other retailers. Well fortunately, iZettle, a company that handles payment tech for independents, have taken a look at their data and are reporting the busiest business hours from around the world. So now we can all know a little bit more about the other shops around the UK and as far away as Mexico!

What Are the Busiest Business Hours Around the World?

What iZettle found was that the greatest business hours,

for Great British businesses, were between 12:00 and 14:00, with lunchtime and early afternoon shopping making up the bulk of activities across the day. If you were hoping to work a siesta into your work hours, maybe you should take a look at this first.

Speaking of siestas, it turns out the Spanish prefer to shop either side of the afternoon. The busiest business hours in Spain are at 12:00 and 13:00, with an enormous drop off until 19:00 which comes in third. Meanwhile Mexico is, surprisingly, the opposite, with the most active business hours falling between 14:00 and 17:00. Although Mexico also seems to have unusually low activity before 12:00, the shopping scene absolutely explodes in the afternoon and doesn’t quiet down again until 22:00.

However, a surprising nation that keeps different hours to Britain is Germany. The Germans seem to prefer to shop from 15:00 to 17:00 in the afternoon and don’t see much drop-off until 20:00 in the evening, with shopping still going on into the night.

Somewhat surprisingly, the nation with the busiest business hours closest to Britain is Sweden. Our cousins in Scandinavia prefer to shop between 12:00 and 14:00 and keep a similar 9-to-5 daily schedule to shopkeepers in Great Britain. Who could’ve guessed we’d be so similar?

Find the full article (with some more lovely graphs) here.

If you have any questions or want to get in touch for any reason, just drop us a line.

The post Busiest Shop Hours Across the World first appeared on Savethehighstreet.org.

SaveTheHighStreet.org visited Cassandre Rank from independent shop 40 Colori in East London. Cassandre spoke to us about her thoughts on adapting retail technology into her business. As an independent retailer, implementing epos systems and understanding data is key to making day-to-day running of her business a smooth process. Listen to what Cassandra had to say. Subscribe to our channel.

Sign up to our newsletter to receive our new Industry Standards recommendations, designed by our Retailer Advisory Board and Brand Partners.

Join now: https://savethehighstreet.org/joi…

Be part of the Retail Advisory Board: https://savethehighstreet.org/ret…

Don’t forget to like, comment share and subscribe!

Music: ‘Smile On’ http://www.purple-planet.com

The post Retailer Talks – Retail Technology first appeared on Savethehighstreet.org.