Following the launch of ecommerce collective, MyHigh.St, we caught up with one of its founders, Loaye Agabani, to discuss his vision for local retailers competing with the likes of Amazon, and how Scottish c-stores can get involved.
Hello Loaye, so what’s MyHigh.St all about?
It’s about creating a network of digital high streets, showcasing all that Britain’s shopkeepers have on offer, delivering a compelling shopping experience and a means to attract visitors to towns.
Sounds promising, where did the idea come from?
I run a toy shop called Junior in a town called Wells in Somerset and realised that in the modern world every high street business needs to have a web presence. We all need to be online; the challenge is how to maximise exposure. That’s where MyHigh.St comes in.
How does it work?
Any retailer can sign up and have a dedicated page on their town’s virtual high street, including shop details and ecommerce functionality. The combination of e-commerce and High Street showcase, coupled with “click and collect” enables shoppers to buy online whilst encouraging visits in person. By including all types of businesses in the mix you can develop a town page that has a lot of detail. We’re also working with Rakuten, which owns www.play.com. They get 10 million visitors a month and with our site carried on their site, there’s a huge potential audience.Towns could get huge exposure.
So where do convenience stores fit?
It’s easy for a shop to say ‘this isn’t for me’ and for convenience stores there’s not much of a market for selling milk online, but retailers could put hampers together, choose to put good wine, beer or chocolates on the site and drive sales through packaging items together. There are lots of options. It’s about being creative. Convenience stores can also be used as pick-up points for goods sold from businesses that have shorter opening hours. C-stores tend to be open longer hours and so could team up with local businesses in other sectors to increase footfall into their own stores. It’s a great way to mutually benefit the high street of any town. Click and collect is a great concept as people know they won’t have a wasted journey. You always want people to come into your store and spend and this is a way to do that.
How much does it cost?
There is a cost per sale but joining the site is free. Some businesses want to diversify into ecommerce and what we’re doing is a giving small businesses a central site to do that from. It’s has the benefit of collective power.
How are you expanding the site?
Our Target 200 campaign was backed in the House of Commons by a Parliamentary Select Committee. We had a lot of MPs at the launch, which was great. The aim is to get 200 high streets across the UK online. We’re also working with the British Independent Traders Association, which has 7,000 retail businesses on its website.
Any interest from Scottish towns?
In Cupar one retailer found out about us and introduced the concept to other retailers in the town, which means there is a now a high street presence on the website. We’re also doing work in Edinburgh and we’ve started talks with businesses in Auchterarder. Interest has been coming from all over the place.
Do you still have time to be a retailer?
That’s what I do. I’m a retailer. My wife and I run the shop – she more than I at the moment, granted – but the retail side is what I know and what I do well.
