Hereford Retail Shop by Sarah and Amadeusz

1. Hereford Retail Shopby Sarah and Amadeusz

2. Self service • Customer service costs money and is notoriously difficult to do well, so why not get customers to do it themselves? Everyone saves money and your customers think they’re in charge. Current examples include self check-in kiosks in airports, self-scanning machines in supermarkets and DIY check out services in hotels. Similarly, expect to see a boom in very intelligent vending machines very soon. If you prefer your service delivered by someone else, there’s even a car dealership in Japan that ‘employs’ robots as salesmen. 

3. Cost polarisation • By 2015 the middle class will have disappeared in most developed countries taking mid-price retailers with them. Hence most consumer markets are already polarising between economy and premium sectors (low price versus luxury). However, customers can happily live in both segments buying $15 T-shirts one minute and $500 jeans the next. 

4. High speed retail • ‘24-hour banking, who’s got time for that?’ Like most good jokes this one, from US comedian Steve Wright, is close to the truth. People are leading increasingly hectic lives. Back in 1900 people slept for 9.0 hours every night. Now it’s just 6.9 hours. This is driving trends like drive-by dining, mobile banking and it’s also killing giant malls, which take too much time to shop. Equally, people are getting increasingly bored with the same brands in the same places, which in turn is driving ‘pop-up’ retail and ‘limited time only’ products and offers. Also links with the ‘Zara effect’. 

5. Brand politics • We’ve already got sweat-shop-free clothing brands, the return of neighbourhood retail and anti-supermarket sentiments, but we still haven’t seen anything yet. In the future customers will be interrogating brands online and scanning products in supermarkets with mobile phones to check on the ethical policy of brands (you can already do this in Japan). Ethically based retail concepts (think Body Shop or fair trade coffee) will grow in the future although customers’ willingness to pay high prices or suffer inconvenience will naturally limit growth in this area. 

6. Growth or decline. • More shops are going online e.g. JJB sports has begun trading more online as the high street becomes quiet. • As more expensive shops are closing like Anne summers you can see more shops like £stretchers and the pound shop opening on the high street. • Loss of Woolworths. • Fewer women's and children's clothes shops. • Increase in charities and discount stores. • More empty premises. • Smaller supermarkets moving in.

7. Products and services • Specsavers (declining as cheaper offers online) • Phone stores (staying the same) • Argos (growing due to online shopping) • Comet (online) • Blockbusters (declining as Netflix and lovefilm.com) • WHSmiths ( declining as online bookstores and downloads) • Clothes stores (Primark and M&S) (decline as online shops) • Gift shops (declining) • Coffee shops (staying the same) • Restaurants (staying the same)

8. changes • WHSmiths are trading online which means that its more convenient to go online and order instead of going into town and finding they don't have the book you need which means the business is improving • Argos trade online which means you can check and reserve your product from any of the 10 nearest stores at home you are able to get it delivered or pick it up in store. This means trade increases of 18%c since 2010. • Boots allows you to buy and order prescriptions online so you can do it any time of the day or even weekends you can book optician appointments online. This means that the company can expand • JJB sports allows you to shop online but the trade on the high street meant that they had to close the store With home delivery. • Blockbusters trade had decreased due to online downloading such as Netflix and Lovefilm.com