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The foot traffic on the UK’s High Streets is still far lower than it was before the pandemic, and many of the stores are vacant. On the other hand, some think that internet companies setting up shop in pop-up stores can contribute to the solution.
Can pop-up stores aid in the revitalization of our High Streets?
Asya Ter-Hovakimyan, who founded the online fashion company OMNISS, thinks that visiting a store is a wonderful experience since “it’s so important for clothes to try things on and see them in real life.”
At the London Made Me pop-up shop on Carnaby Street, she and other online entrepreneurs chosen by the Mayor of London’s Office had their first taste of High Street retail.
She saw it as an opportunity to meet devoted clients she had previously only spoken with virtually.
The Amsterdam fashion business Scotch & Soda shuttered all of its UK locations, leaving a need that was filled by the London Made Me store. It was operational throughout the profitable month preceding Christmas.
Hannah Wild, an ethical designer, was likewise opened-minded by her encounter in this store. Using leftover party balloon material to create fashion items like headbands and rings, she has amassed a cult following on the internet.
“The feedback from customers is invaluable and it’s transforming my business,” she claims.
Could pop-up stores, which are essentially internet enterprises, be the key to revitalizing the UK’s failing High Streets?
“There used to be the fear that e-commerce could sound the death knell for the High Street,” says Natalie Berg, a retail analyst, “but we’ve learned that physical and digital retail can happily co-exist and there is [in fact] a convergence.”
According to a PwC analysis from 2023, online purchasing, which increased rapidly during the pandemic, has now stabilized and accounts for about 35% of total sales. Still, the High Street’s foot traffic is 10–20% less than it was before COVID.
However, Ms. Berg notes that it is increasingly acknowledged that internet companies can benefit the High Street. She goes on to say that “O-2-O”—online to offline—is a word that is widely used in the retail industry.
“Everyone from the big giants like Amazon and Asos, down to much smaller independent businesses, are looking to open stores on the High Street, to engage with customers in a real-life setting, with a seamless experience.”
Pop-up stores give small, internet enterprises that visibility.
