The Ever Changing Face of Retail
Retail of the future or the future of retail?
Shopping, an act that, for me, represents self-care. Touching fabrics, trying clothes, being able to wear the item instantly, there is no amount of 'add to basket' that can replace that whole store experience. At least not for me. But, due to the pandemic, we are a generation of 'add to basket'. We have no other choice but to shop online, and yes, some online retailers are amazing from all points of view, but some just leave a lot of space for you to want more and not get it.
Our generation has not lived through something as significant as this pandemic, and it shows in the way we spend not only our money but our time. Online retail has changed and grown significantly throughout the pandemic. There has always been a surge once a new lockdown has been reinstated. Some might say that digital retail spaces and online e-commerce platforms have shifted more significantly in the past year than they have in their entire life-span, and this is all due to a virus that has us all contained to our houses and glued to our computers. Companies have added, moved and shifted their online spaces. There has been a change in the way we shop, opening our minds to the possibility of online shopping, which for many was probably not their first option when wanting to purchase anything.
The pandemic has not only shifted the way we consume, but it has shifted the way stores value their space and the experience they offer while inside it. "Fundamentally, retail is no longer about just the acquisition of goods, retail is an experience that is also social" – in response to this, for example, John Lewis has reconfigured their stores; re-opened some of their services and re-opened their cafes (source University of Birmingham ). Even though I feel I have been hearing this for years beforehand, people want an experience, not just a product. Some stores have complied, while others wanted to prove that the experience is not as sought after as we might think. Sadly, many of those who did not believe in the power of experience have been stagnant, some have even gone bankrupt, and a lot because of a lack of flexibility to change. Stores like Selfridges and Harrods last because they are constantly shifting to offer their customers the best experience they can possibly have, no matter the budget, even their loos are sumptuous and offer you a little taste of at least some of their products (fancy soap, fancy hand cream, etc.). But this experience should not only be limited to large retailers that have space and money to invest, it can also be part of a smaller retailer's strategy. In fact, smaller retailers have it easier, they can shift quickly, are more flexible in general due to their size, and many of the experiences they can offer are essentially free of cost, or at least very cheap.
Shopping experiences will go beyond just a fancy way of paying by card; once they do re-open, and even after COVID is contained, there will be a significant change in viewing the space of shopping. 60% of shoppers said that spikes in COVID-19 may keep them away from stores, while some shoppers are feeling more apprehensive about shipping in stores, especially testing things such as beauty products, so what will retailers have to do to keep these customers shopping while also offering them an unforgettable experience? The high-street will never look the same, and brands will constantly have to reinvent the wheel to survive because the OG customer will soon disappear. Instead, there will be waves of new customers that will all need to be serviced in their own specific way. Online shopping, besides the instant, 'I can shop at whatever hour of the day or night' experience, also allows for a lot of 'personalisation'. And no, I don't mean changing the background colour or moving the buttons around. It allows me to sit with those products in my basket for hours on end, sometimes days or weeks, it offers me the possibility to change my mind multiple times before even thinking of purchasing anything, there is a possibility to reserve products, to buy multiple sizes and return, and many more possibilities to make that shopping experience my own. Besides, for many introverts like myself, online shopping is usually a safe haven where nobody interrupts me from my reverie while touching the softest cashmere because I am at the end of the day in my pyjamas in my living room and can sit, caressing that fabric forever if I so wish. The pandemic has indeed accelerated our feelings of loneliness. It has changed generations of people in ways we will keep on discovering for years to come. Still, it has also pushed the online world to find more ways to connect with the humans that interact with it every day. It has pushed so many spaces to reconsider what they invest their money in and look at their consumer holistically. It has accelerated e-commerce and online shopping like never before, and for many places, that was exactly the push it needed. Others were better prepared because they embraced the online wholeheartedly many moons ago. Over the past few decades, retail has truly undergone a historic transformation. I truly feel we haven't yet seen all that can be offered. From AI powered models on catwalks to mirrors that can help you try on make-up without touching anything, the sky is the limit in the way the world will develop. As much as we want to say that brick and mortar stores will forever exist, a world where these are replaced by different shopping experiences does not seem so far-fetched. Stores will most likely have built-in distancing, product placement for speed, potential built-in drive-throughs, most likely cashier-less shopping and so on(source Forbes.com). Stores might become smaller and with more outdoor space. The high-street experience will significantly shift in the coming years to cater to all these new customers that emerged due to the pandemic.
At the end of the day, we will always have a need to shop (maybe not just for clothes, but sadly they don't last forever), and the retail sector, as much as it has suffered due to a lack of brick and mortar possibilities, will most likely grow even stronger and steadier in the years to come. "For years, we have been told that the high street is dying, but we now might just see its revival" (source Birmingham University). Maybe high street 1.0 has died, but high street 2.0 will be a new and improved version that will cater to all these new customers emerging from the pandemic.
The same way people have been stocking their pantries like there was no tomorrow, they will be shopping for those party dresses once COVID is contained enough for larger gatherings to be possible again. We will shift from our pyjama and loungewear obsession (loungewear has even made it to the catwalks *gasp – shock – horror*) to an obsession for all things 'getting out of the house ready'. The future of fashion does seem to be catering more to the home-bound customer, as the shift in the way we shop will continue, especially due to the newfound (for many) flexibility for remote or work from home capabilities. Still, there will be a time in the future when the balance for loungewear and partywear will equalise. Research by data company Kantar found an explosion in spending on loungewear, which rocketed by 146% year on year, as there have been fewer reasons to dress up.
Consumers have also looked at what was important and comfortable to them (source Drapers.com). Would you be wearing that sequin skirt that makes you end up with scratches all along your arm by the end of the night? Or that top that you can't sit down in because you can't breathe properly, but it makes you look and feel good if you are sitting up? Of course, you will choose the comfort of clothes that don't annoy you, but boy, do I sometimes miss that skirt that is too tight to breathe and those heels that seem to be making a hole in my brain with every step I take.
Overall, retail had to give the people power to personalise the shopping experience that seemed like a mundane scroll through millions of open tabs with no end in sight. Online retail has grown in unexpected ways. It has shown great flexibility, even from the nay-sayers and those who did not believe that brick and mortar as we know it might become obsolete. Many brands have introduced new categories to cater to the zoom party crown and from the 'I'm never getting out of my pyjamas' crowd and all the categories in between. Loungewear is here to stay; we will learn how to incorporate it in our outfits when 'we come out at the end of this pandemic'. It will always be a fixture of our wardrobes, whether we like it or not. I must admit to dressing in a sequin skirt the one time I went to the office in a while, just because I needed the shine. Likewise, I put make-up on for the most mundane of tasks because I miss it (and it will most likely expire soon, and I'll be annoyed), and I'm sure I'm not the only one.
However, will I be comfortable trying make-up on in a department store? Probably not anytime soon. Even trying clothes on makes me gasp at the moment and want to have a shower instantly, so it will take a while until retail as we know it will return to a semblance of normality, but this is also the beauty of the change we are experiencing at the moment. Looking at all the options that have been pushed out of people's brains to make shopping more than just a mundane experience has been amazing, and this is truly what fashion and retail really is about. Looking at creative ways to showcase a product that we all need in one form or another at the end of the day. There are only so many ways we can reinvent this before looking at all the other things we can offer on the side.
Written by Andra Maier
Working in fashion teaches you a lot of things, but it leaves little space for creativity outside of work, because we are ‘always available’. Having a creative space is something important in my ‘switching off’ process, and writing comes easiest, especially in busy times. I love everything fashion and food related. If I am not found writing or scribbling, I am found reading the latest fiction releases, fan-girling over Harry Potter or some pretty shoes, and writing for my blog. Being able to express myself outside of work boundaries is freeing and incredible, and honing the creative spirit is one of the main resolutions I had for 2020.