Nowadays, increasing amounts of sales are being processed online, so it’s not all too surprising that increasing numbers of budding business owners are moving their companies online too! This makes sense all round. The web has proven itself to be an extremely beneficial commercial space. It doesn’t have opening hours, meaning that it can operate around the clock and during bank or public holidays. You can reach a global audience by simply adding international shipping options. You don’t need staff to operate the shop floor, or security to keep an eye on your stock. It is also relatively cheap to set up a website to sell from. All that you need to is a domain and to outsource set up work to freelancers specialising in product photography, web design, and product descriptions. However, this isn’t to say that brick and mortar commerce is finished. There’s still plenty of room for profit on the high street and dwindling competition on the high street also allows you to establish yourself in a less saturated market. So, here are a few steps that you can take in order to be a success on the high street in the age of Ecommerce!
Choosing the Right Commercial Space
The first step that you need to take is to seek out the right commercial space to start up within. Now, the most common option that people tend to take is to rent out an existing commercial property. This means that they can move right in and start adding features and furnishings. Make sure that the store is located in a spot with high footfall surrounding it, so consumers know that it is there!
Health and Safety
Once you have a commercial space, you need to make sure that everything is safe and sound for customers and anyone else who steps foot inside it. This will help to keep everyone happy and can also prevent you from facing a legal case where you could end up forking out a load of compensation. There are various steps that you will need to take in order to achieve this, but some to start out with include:
- Relevant signage
- Fire safety equipment
- Security and surveillance through DSX access systems
Interior Design
Once health and safety has been sorted out, it’s time to start focusing on interior design. This is what will attract customers to your store and what will help you to develop a brand aesthetic. Collaborate with interior designers and merchandisers throughout this process. They will know exactly what needs to be done in order to make your store navigable and aesthetically pleasing at the same time. Everything will look visually pleasing and everyone will be able to find what they want!
These simple steps should get you well on the way to setting up a brick and mortar store with potential for success, even if many business owners are abandoning this area of commerce!