Mantra Learning News
15 Jun 20
High street shops are back but are the customers?
Have our shopping habits changed for good?
As of today, non-essential shops can reopen their doors to customers across England, but with social distancing measures in place and consumers increasing their online spending activities over the last few months, will the high street ever be the same again?
A survey by Visa found that a third of Britons shopped online for the first time during the lockdown, if this trend continues, then surely there will be a need for fewer shops on the high street?
The surge of e-commerce
With the surge of e-commerce over the last decade and the growth of next day delivery services, keeping shop doors open is a huge challenge to every high street retail outlet. Social distancing protocols will help to prevent the spread of COVID-19 but it adds to the challenge of high street shopping and may just be the tipping point to change consumer buying behaviours for good. Long queues, restricted access, limits on purchases, and being advised to shop alone will make people think twice before taking a trip into the local town.
The ease of purchasing an item through a few clicks and with the rise of in-app purchases through the likes of Instagram, the fight against e-commerce might be too much for some high street retailers. For others, they will use this opportunity to evolve and build a new business model, but it will demand new skills and methods for engaging with customers. Take a look at some of the problems e-commerce has faced during the lockdown, and you will find new opportunities.
A lack of delivery slots, courier drivers, and the ability to deal with the demands of customer queries over the telephone and social media highlights a need for more skilled people within the supply chains. As the economy recovers the demand for the next day and in same-day delivery services will rise; not to mention the rise of reverse logistics for items sent back by consumers. For this to be achievable logistics operations will need to continuously evolve, the sector is at the forefront of technological advancements, aiming to be more efficient for customers, implementing slicker processes, and reducing carbon emissions, so the demand for skilled people is high.
The high street may be in decline, but the logistics sector presents a world of opportunities.
For further information about our apprenticeships, funded training opportunities, and commercial programmes in logistics and e-commerce, complete the enquiry form below.
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