STORE WARS

03-10-2006

Can the high street compete with the internet? On the face of it's no contest, as more and more of us switch to doing our shopping online - in theory, it's cheap and convenient. But Edward Cameron reckons there is a way back for the traditional store...

Can the high street compete with the internet? I'd like to think it stands a chance.

Today I was shopping for a mate's birthday present. It is here that the high street wins hands down. Currently the internet cannot let you physically pick up an item and imagine the look on a friend's face as you give it to him.

The internet cannot help you find the ideal pressie if you have no clue what you are looking for.

A case study: I had found the right gift in HMV. It's a little pricier than the net but I was running out of time and couldn't risk the potential postage lag time. As I paid the lad with the dodgy hair-do behind the counter asked me the best question ever: “Did you find everything you were looking for?”

As it happens I had, but that's where the shop can get back the sales lost to the net. It's decent customer service - personal service - that will save the shop from the machine.

There's a lot of grannies out there who, come Christmas, would welcome some advice as they try to find a CD and tell the lad ‘I think it's by Cats Ate a Bean' to be told ‘ah, you mean Kasabian madam'.

For too many years shops have allowed standards to slide by employing drones as staff - kids who couldn't give an Arctic Monkeys about the customer. But now their futures depend upon it, because it's front line service that will make the difference.

Chain store bosses will have to come down from their ivory towers and start seeing people, not numbers, if they want to make sure the customers return.

They will have to invest money into training their staff, giving them skills that they can take elsewhere when the time comes.

In return they will fight off the faceless internet stores with their national rate call centres and e-support.

I still believe in the high street. It can come full circle, as long as the traders can diversify, and hold on until the eventual internet backlash.