What is PocketHighStreet and how does it work?
PocketHighStreet is the first open platform for the digital high street. Our mission is to reinvent and revive the high street by putting everything for sale in every local shop at everyone’s fingertips. We do that via cloud technology, which makes it simple for local retailers to join, set up their profile and feature all the things they sell in store.
What was the inspiration behind the service?
There was a lot of noise in the news about the high street dying, but we strongly disagreed. Clearly it was changing, but we believed that the high street of the future would be connected by, not in conflict with, the internet.
Is the retail industry traditionally good at supporting local sellers?
The bigger retailers are understandably focused on their own objectives, so they only support other retailers when there’s a commercial incentive for them in doing so.
The smaller independents could do more to help each other, but there’s little to bring them together, so they can’t do this at any meaningful scale. Initiatives like Independent Retailer Month are helping to raise awareness of the value local independents bring to a community, but much more is needed.
Retail associations and government (both local and national) are trying to do their bit, but the problem is structural and requires private sector support.
How does the platform fit in with current retail trends?
The majority of UK retail sales still happen in bricks-and-mortar stores, but shoppers are increasingly using the internet to inform that purchase. That’s on a local level too. Also, 88% of us sometimes or always research offline before purchasing online (“showrooming”) while 56% of mobile searches have local intent.
What will the high street of the future look like?
We envisage a high street where shoppers have seamless experiences between online and offline. This digital high street will see the internet acting as a force for good for retailers big and small. Within a couple of clicks on any web-enabled device, shoppers will be able to access and purchase anything available for sale in high street shops nearby. It will be a place where click-and-collect, ship-from-store and other local delivery options will be available from every seller. Mobile payments too will be at every till.
Online publishers and any service with a localised audience will be able to access and use data to seamlessly offer personalised shopping services on their site, generating incremental revenue, engaging their users and supporting their local retail community. Everyone will be able to promote their favourite high street stores and products to their friends, audiences and customers, and be rewarded for it. Consumers will also receive more personalised offers from shops based on where they are and what they’re interested in at that time.
What are the future plans for PocketHighStreet?
At the moment we’re still exclusively focused on London, but nationwide rollout begins this year. More local organisations such as retailers, publishers, social influencers and location-based services are joining the network every day. We intend to accelerate this growth through the year.
What advice do you have for any other fashion-tech startups?
Find a problem you are really passionate about. Everything’s so much easier if you care deeply about finding the solution. Remember that you will be living and breathing it eight days a week.
Alex Schlagman is co-founder of PocketHighStreet
More from the Shop talk series
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• Before the Label: the crowdfunding platform that puts designers first
• The Affair: the fashion brand making stealth tech stylish
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• This article was amended on 26 May 2015. An earlier version defined “showrooming” as researching online before purchasing offline. In fact it is viewing in store before purchasing online.
