42% of consumers wont return to High Street shopping

Whistl has revealed in new research that more consumers are planning to stay away from High Street shopping and will instead continue buying online.

The data shows how COVID-19 has changed shopping behaviors and made shopping online the new normal for many. 42% of consumers state they will not be returning to the high street and in addition to the lack of shoppers who would typically be working in city and town centres, safety fears are a key driver of this change with 62% of the UK believing it is safer to shop online than on the high street. However, those who are already out and about going to and from work appeared to be less concerned about the safety aspect.

As well as the safety fears of shopping on the high street, 55% of respondents felt that shopping online was quicker and 52% believed that there was a greater choice for clothes in terms of colours and sizes. Interestingly, the inability to try on clothes in store was only mentioned by 2% of those surveyed.

The results look worrying for retailers who only have physical stores, but with so many options for bringing business online, there is no excuse to not be. It just makes sense that businesses would take advantage of the new growth and online success whilst expanding their reach.

“Our research is a wake-up call for retailers large and small who do not have an online presence. There is an unquestionable move away from the High Street, particularly with those consumers aged between 18-24. It is unlikely they will be coming back to buy non-food items.

“A multi-channel retail approach is the way forward for traditional high street only retailers and it is simple and easy to implement. From order to delivery, we offer scalable and flexible fulfilment solutions, combined with our unique outsourced Contact Centre facilities. Whistl can ensure that retailers do not miss out as consumers change where and how they shop.”
– Melanie Darvall, Director Marketing & Communications, Whistl

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