I’m not the world’s keenest shopper. I hate standing in queues, I hate fighting for car park spaces, and I hate carrying bags. This is why Christmas 2014 was mostly delivered by ‘Mr Amazon’. That’s to say that 80% of my purchases were transacted online, delivered by courier and handed over to happy recipients without me ever leaving the comfort of my office.
It may sound lazy but my lack of love for high street shopping is not a condition unique to me, it has been estimated that 2014 will see online shopping in the UK break the £100bn barrier for the first time, with a further 20% growth predicted for 2015.
So internet shopping is big business, very big business, but where does that leave the motor industry? With our shiny showrooms and expensively equipped workshops, we are physical businesses that often rely on customers and cars coming to us. We need bricks and mortar buildings, places to park cars, display cars, repair cars but for our customers who increasingly transact online for other goods and services isn’t coming to a dealership going to feel an increasingly arduous activity?
It was with this train of thought in mind that I found myself trudging up Milsom Street in Bath recently during a post-Christmas shopping trip. My wife and two daughters seemed happy enough, but I felt that my six year old son, Charlie, was beginning to feel the same way as me, hacked off.
That was until we went into a shop; a jeweller’s to be precise, called Mallory. I’d been there a few times before, but on this occasion it was my wife that suggested the visit, so I followed on dutifully. Within moments of entering the shop I felt a strange sensation creep over me…..I soon realised it was called serenity.
A sturdy chair was offered to me as my wife browsed the many departments. My son Charlie was offered a chocolate the size of a walnut but shaped like a diamond. Sparking water, orange juice and the offer of tea or coffee soon followed. Charlie and I were happy.
I watched with some pleasure as my daughters compare pendants and my wife surveyed a range of bags in front of a large mirror. And then I realised. We were shopping. We were ALL shopping. For the first time in a long time we were out shopping as a family and I was enjoying it!
And of course we bought. Three hand bags and a one pendant to be precise, plus a very good idea of a 21st birthday present for my youngest daughter, Poppy.
I had re-ignited my love of the high street. But I had to ask the question, why? What was different about this shopping experience that made it a pleasure? Well for a start I have to say that I was relaxed, very relaxed and I felt absolutely no pressure to buy. The shop was populated by very pleasant people who ‘looked after me’ – gave me drinks, offered me a chair, empathised with my situation. They also introduced me, my wife and my daughters to alternatives, things we may not have seen or thought of online had we searched for a specific item. As a consequence we bought a pendant when we had gone shopping ‘just for a bag’.
I also realised that the jewellers had become something of a sanctuary for us, a space to rest, a place to contemplate and enjoy the process of choosing and shopping. We could see, feel and try everything in the store. Shopping had become sensory again.
The experience at the jewellers told me a lot about the way I shop and I don’t think I am alone in what I discovered……
1. I am not as price sensitive as I think I am – I often discover after I’ve bought online, that it would have been cheaper to buy it on the high street
2. I will pay money to avoid hassle and inconvenience
3. I do not like or respond well to pressure
4. I like help, expert advice and outstanding product knowledge
5. I like to be flattered, particularly if it is a discretional purchase
If we want to attract and RETAIN customers to our dealerships then we need to think differently about retailing. If we model ourselves on the majority of high street shops then we will see our customers migrate to online shopping just as there’s have. We need to differentiate the buying experience for our customers, add value to the visit and create a unique environment in which they want to make purchases. Which I reckon isn’t a bad aspiration for us all in 2015.
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