What’s the future of the High Street? For EE stores, it’s bright.

Read any headline about the UK High Street and the outlook is rarely rosy. But for me, the picture isn’t so bleak. I’ve worked in retail for over 25 years and the High Street has always had to evolve. Right now, I believe there’s a huge opportunity for retail stores to claim a new place in consumers’ lives.??

It’s an opportunity we’re embracing at EE, in three important ways.??

The way we shop today?

There’s no doubt that the way we use the High Street has changed in recent years. The global pandemic, confidence in the economy, and the cost-of-living crisis have all taken their toll. On top of that, there’s more consumer choice than ever and convenience is a dominating factor. Why go to your local shop when Deliveroo can have groceries at your door in 20 minutes??

But despite all this, people are slowly coming back to the High Street. And they’re coming back for a reason. They want to interact, to learn, to be inspired, and they want to do that with someone they trust.??

Making it personal?

There are ways for brands to digitally deliver expertise, and with advances in AI, it can get even better. But it’s still more difficult than doing it in person. In stores, we can talk to customers directly about their needs, their households, their budgets. Then, connect them with the products and services that will genuinely make their everyday lives better. It’s personal.??

At the end of the day, we’re all human beings who want to be with other human beings. To have an emotional connection with them and make things better in their lives. That’s what motivates people to keep coming into stores. And that’s what motivates us at EE to create a personal experience when they’re here.??

Making it seamless?

However, stores can’t operate on their own. To truly create the experience we want for customers, they need to work with, not separate from, digital channels and call centres. Stores need to be part of an ecosystem that gives customers the connection, advice, solutions, and service they want, in whichever way they interact with our brand.??

I see our retail stores as one part of an omnichannel experience, where shops act as a showroom for everything EE can offer. I see them as spaces where customers can talk to our Guides, experience the technology that’s out there, be shown how things work and encouraged to imagine the difference it might make in their homes and lives.?

Beyond that, it genuinely doesn’t matter how customers buy their tech. As retailers, we need to value more than what goes through the tills. Instead, we should be focusing on the lifetime value of our customers where retail plays its part in experience, brand presence and customer acquisition for the total business.??

Making it local?

The vision we share in EE retail is to be the most personal, customer-focused brand on the High Street. To do that, we want our stores to be showcases and our Guides to be the experts that can create personal tech solutions to enhance people’s everyday lives.??

But everyone’s lives are different. And what people generally need in one part of the UK is different to what they need in another. So, part of achieving our purpose is ensuring our stores have the right products, services, and expertise to suit the community it’s in. While also playing an active part in that community.??

The Community Champions in our Experience Stores are charged with that important goal. They go out, talking to local communities, connecting with charities and bringing people into our stores to teach them skills and get them acquainted with tech. Not with the objective of selling more products, but to ensure no one gets left behind in an increasingly digital world.??

It's a journey we’ve already started??

I’m not denying there are challenges for those of us operating on the UK High Street. But there are positive signs and at EE I am optimistic. We’re becoming a retailer who sells technology with purpose, care and personal support. It can’t happen overnight and it’s going to take investment.??

But if we do that, if we begin to emotionally connect with customers through our retail spaces, we can entice them back to the High Street.??