The high street still working to deliver an epic customer experience

The city centre landscape in the UK has been under attack by the global recession and advancing capabilities of the big bad web cannibalising the sales of the traditional shop. With uncompromising lease agreements and penalising taxation many businesses have struggled to make the old school shopfront window experience viable seeing a number of stalwarts of the high street crumble and disappear from our cities. For many items and indeed for many shoppers going into a physical shop is the preferred choice and for millions a borderline hobby consuming more "free" time than any other past time. So why is the experience not more epic and why are we witnessing more empty shops than ever before?  Certainly walking down Oxford street in London at any time of the day suggests this shopping format is as strong as ever. Too many shops have failed to keep up with the pace of the industry. Following the seasonal pattern of sales and traditional window displays. Some have tried to integrate the channel with the online experience. Some have integrated coffee shops into the bosom of their environment. All of this is missing the point. The high street and the concept of being in a physical shop is enough but companies need to invigorate this experience not dilute it with modern trappings. Get good sales teams passionate about the products. Revolutionise your layouts making products leap out at us. Welcome new customers and old into this world and make the high street epic again.