With 2013 opening with news reports of high street failures, struggling retail chains and a rise in online shopping, many are looking to e-commerce as the golden goose, but not all the doom and gloom around the high street is just because they were operating from a physical store.

© Copyright Neil Owen and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Getting your store online is a relatively pain-free exercise but making it work for you, requires more than just a smooth back-end system and nice looking site, it also requires the correct approach, planning and understanding of your market. Here’s a handful of lessons that many of the current and recent high street failures appeared unable to properly address:

Keep up to date with trends

You don’t need to be a trailblazer – although it helps – but make sure you at least know what else is going on in the world. Too often ‘We’ve always done it this way’ has a ring of failure about it. Make sure you set-aside time to at least monitor what your competitors are up to. Customers are loyal to a point, but if they see an advantage to use another retailer even the strongest loyalty is tested. Recent news has seen HMV and Waterstones both struggling on the high street with stores having to be closed due to poor sales figures. Yet both were once trailblazers themselves in their own sectors, unfortunately they took their eye off the ball. Both were slow to move into the online arena and their multi-channel offerings have often looked more like stand-alone offerings rather than fully integrated. In-store too they too often seemed to want to ignore the advances of technology, not promoting new gadgets or e-functionality that perhaps offered a threat to their traditional methods, but for competitors have actually been used as a way of smoothing cross-platform integration.

Get your Customer Service Right

Amazon’s success in the online market has been based on a ‘customer first’ attitude. From personal experience, any items lost or undelivered have been rapidly replaced as soon as the retailer has been notified, even replacements of expensive technology goods notified as dead on arrival have been despatched before the broken item has even been re-packed for return. Now that’s good customer service. No queries, no frustrations, no bad feeling.  No queues in line at ‘the separate checkout’ to be met with stern questions, an interested face and a computer says no attitude.

Branding makes a statement

Another thing Amazon has done well is making the brown cardboard wrapper a bit of a status symbol. There’s no shame in arriving at your work desk to find an Amazon branded semi-cardboard box structure is waiting for you. The packaging is strong, looks smart yet is as basic as it comes. That’s good branding. Uncomplicated and easily identifiable.  The brand stands for something and people immediately identify it and what’s more are possibly even proud to show off they are using it. Logos need to be simple and as they say a picture paints a thousand words.

Partnerships offer quick wins

It’s no fluke that years ago when the traditional departmental stores began to see their status waning against specialist shops, they looked to partnering with names established elsewhere and introducing them into their stores as ‘departments’ in the form of concessions. It is a practice that still works today. It can help share the expense of overheads, it brings in different audiences who may not normally be attracted to browse, it also potentially brings in added kudos if the concession has a strong brand reputation themselves. It is a way of offering new services to your customers that may be of use and interest to them without the expense of investing in and testing a new market. In recent years a whole host of coffee chains have sprung up in supermarkets, in book-stores and in public spaces. WHSmith have embraced the Post Office within many of their stores and countless clothing retailers can be seen stocking and promoting sections in store of items from brands that previously may have been seen as rivals. These are the successes of the High Street and that partnership model is also being applied by many online retailers too as it works and gives an advantage over rivals, especially if the partnerships are exclusive.

No doubt 2013 will see more and more headlines of high street failures but remember every week online stores fail too. With e-commerce solutions such as those offered by 123-reg, getting an online store up and running smoothly is actually very easy but a successful store goes beyond an organised back-end system and nice looking set of pages. Concentrating on just sending out goods and re-stocking is a path to failure whether you operate from a corner shop, a high street, shopping mall, retail park or online store. Retailing is about understanding a customer’s needs and wants and providing a service that best addresses those. In a virtual environment costs can be saved, through efficiency and smaller overheads, but the strategy remains the same and lessons can be learned from the successful and unsuccessful high-street retailers that any budding online retailer should build into their strategy.

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Nick Leech started his career in the magazine publishing industry, joining Future Publishing as an Advertising Manager. Leech began selling advertising space for companies in publications including .Net, Internetworks and Business 2.0. In 2000, Leech recognised an opportunity in the market and along with a colleague set up Euston Digital, an agency specialising in search engine marketing. In 2012, Leech was headhunted by the Host Europe Group as its new Group Marketing Director.

Nick Leech sat down with 123-reg to offer his personal experience and give his advice to young entrepreneurs in 2012.

So how did Leech go from selling advertising to running his own successful search marketing business? Leech began with an initial belief that he could do things better, a thought many people in business hold. ‘Euston Digital wasn’t about creating a unique product but more about providing a service that was better than the competition. This was my true inspiration – I knew I could do it better than others.’

Nick Leech is an entrepreneur, despite his own modesty. Realising ones potential is sometimes the main stumbling block, something anyone who wants to start their own business can learn from. While Leech may be somewhat embarrassed to be described as an entrepreneur, his non-traditional path into the business world and story of success should be inspirational to those who might one day takes the plunge. ‘I wouldn’t describe myself as a typical entrepreneur, because I have always seen my investment as low risk. Added to that, the economic environment was better in 2000. Maybe where I am different is I have always seen commercial potential in an idea.’

When you have a great idea and can compete with the competition, there is no need to borrow vast sums of money. ‘When we created Euston Digital there were a lot of people doing things badly, a lot of money was around at the time and there was a serious opportunity if we did it correctly.’

What makes Leech’s story so relevant is that it was not a unique idea, in many ways this is what sets him apart. Leech’s story is one for the masses, an individual who was good at something and had the passion and determination to make it a success. ‘That eureka moment normally costs a great deal of money. What people can take from my experience is to do what you are good at and do it well. The only real cost should be your time and passion.’

It is the Marketing Director’s belief that commitment, passion and skill are essential ingredients for anyone wanting to set their own business up. ‘Working within the service industry, what set us apart was the effort we put in for our clients. Clients saw the passion and the extra effort we were putting in for them. That goes a long way.’

So what advice would Leech offer those wanting to gain a presence on search engines? ‘When you start a business you need to be thinking about how you can rank well on Google. The sooner you do it, the better for your business. There is a perception that this opportunity has been taken by big corporations. However, upstarts are constantly finding way to challenge and even beat large competitors.

‘Do not feel like the ship has sailed. There is still so much potential online.’

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The world of retail is in its biggest transition since the adopting of the barcode scanner over hand-held pricing guns. Even small corner shops are now more likely to use the former, although there will always be a handful of retailers who hold on firmly to tradition. The current transition, the consumer move from physical shopping to virtual shopping, has been underway for a few years now but the mass-growth is now well and truly upon us. E-commerce is no longer a word used by only certain demographics, it is a term understood by 99% of the population. Yet, where e-commerce goes next, is the question thousands of retailers are asking, here are some of our predictions:

1. E-commerce dependance will continue to rise

The mass-market for e-commerce is already here, but the economic climate and reluctance for businesses to invest in expensive overheads such as retail space and customer-facing staff, means e-commerce will continue to grow and be more attractive to businesses both new and old. That’s not to say E-commerce should be seen as just a cheap option. Investing in back-end infrastructure and a pleasing customer journey is essential and cutting corners and costs on that invariably also means cutting customers.

2. Seasonal trends will still be applicable

While leaving your Christmas shopping until Christmas Eve is probably soon to be assigned to history (although we know there are some online retailers that offer this and the printable / emailable voucher has never been as popular), shopping at Christmas is still going to present a potential bumper windfall for online retailers. In addition, the tradition of the January sale lives on long and strong online so if you are running an ecommerce site, consider December and January a pretty much no go area for personal holiday.

3. Buying social will increase

The recommendation of a friend or trusted colleague can have a massive impact on whether you buy or don’t buy. The big retailers have long known this and the push post checkout of many retailers to “share your purchase” via your social networks is almost second nature to most of us buying online nowadays. That will only increase as will the number using the high street more as as browsing tool than a shop. Think Argos catalogue of the past, that could soon become the way we treat the physical shopping world, perhaps not even ever buying presents either, but sharing them over the internet (see Web 3.0)

4. The development of personal verification

With social networking sites now dominating the way we login to control panels and accounts across the web, the single login system while secure in principle is potentially open to abuse if you stay logged in for example on a publicly located computer. Many systems with automated payment logins and processes would therefore allow a ‘hacked’ account to be used to rack up £s of orders without extra security checks. Already to market Jumio’s NetSwipe hasn’t quite captured the imagination as many had expected, but we think it won’t be too long before banks – and consumers – are insisting on this or similar technology to combat web fraud.

5. Flash sales will drive traffic

In the real world retailers call these “fire sales” and you see the High Streets littered with ‘Closing Down’ and ‘ All stock must go’ almost everywhere you go nowadays. That trend is set to move onto the internet. Already, the growth of social shopping sites like GroupOn and LivingSocial have relied heavily on the same mentality to drop prices to all-time lows and drive sales and hopefully traffic back to the retailer sites. Now as brands become more powerful and influential themselves via social media, so they will be looking to use similar tactics to drive traffic to their site alone.

6. Online loyalty programs kick in

The success of large scale affiliates offering money-back to customers for click-through purchases such as QuidCo and TopCashback makes it clear that loyalty to brands extends online – especially if there is a financial incentive. Expect this to be become more polished and more targeted by the big names in the next few months. Already the big high street names such as Nectar are evident if not overtly active online, but brands are aware of the importance of customer loyalty and will be exploiting that more and more in tighter economic times.

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Optimising a website for search engines is not easy and it’s a continuous process that takes time. Go through the most frequently asked questions on Search Engine Optimisation and find answers that can help you understand the basics of SEO and what techniques you can use to have your site rank higher than your competitors.

What is SEO?

When you enter a word or a phrase in a search engine, whether it’s Google, Yahoo, Bing or another one, and click “Search”, you get a list of search results that include that word or phrase. People usually visit the top 5-10 websites on that page because they consider them to be the most relevant to their search query.  SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is responsible for getting those sites in the top results on search engines.

SEO is a technique that helps improve the visibility of a website or web page in a search engine’s list of results. This means that SEO helps a site rank higher than millions of other sites when people search for a certain word or phrase. Ultimately, SEO is responsible for getting more visitors to your site.

What are Meta Tags?

Meta Tags provide details on what type of information is included on a web page, thus helping search engines categorise it easier.  These elements are inserted into an HTML document and are not visible to users visiting your site.  Meta Tags are a very effective marketing tool because they are used to give users snippets of your website content. Thus, they’re a hook that you can use to get Internet users to visit your site. Read more on how to create meta descriptions.

How do I create Meta Tags?

InstantTraffic a search engine optimising tool from 123-reg, will help you create the perfect Meta Tags for your site by using a Meta Tags generator. This powerful tool gives you suggestions of Meta Tags you can use based on the content on your site.

Where do I add Meta Tags?

The Meta Tags generator tool from InstantTraffic will not only suggest the perfect Meta Tags for your site, but also show you exactly where you need to insert them inside your site’s HTML document.

How can SEO help me?

SEO is an invaluable technique for any site owner that wants to rank high in search engines and increase the number of users visiting the site.  InstantTraffic includes everything you need to reach as many Internet users as possible. We can submit your site to over 400 search engines every month including Google, Yahoo and Bing to increase your website’s visibility which can lead to traffic increase. We will also advise you on what keywords to use to help increase your site’s rankings.

What is Google Ranking or PageRank?

Google Ranking or PageRank is a link analysis algorithm that determines how important a website is.  The PageRank is responsible for your site showing up at the top of the first page of results or on the 15^th page of results that almost no one visits.

What elements influence the Google Ranking of my site?

There are a number of factors that contribute to a better PageRank and the most important one is the number of quality websites that link to your site, also known as incoming links. An incoming link is interpreted by Google as a recommendation or a vote of support.  Having links from websites with a high PageRank can also help increase your site’s PageRank.

How long does it take for a website to have a good ranking?

There is no exact answer because this depends on a lot of factors such as the quality of your content, relevancy, the keywords you are using and their location, and many others.  However, if you publish quality content constantly and get authority sites to link to you, you can increase the chances of ranking higher faster.

How long does it take for a website to be indexed?

As for the previous question, there isn’t an exact answer for this question. For more information, read our blog post on this subject.

Why doesn’t my website appear in search engines?

If you have a new website and have already submitted it manually to several search engines, it may not be crawled and indexed right away. There are so many new websites that are submitted daily that it’s understandable why it may take longer for it to show up in search engine results.

With our InstantTraffic SEO software, we can help get your site listed on Google within 8 weeks. We will submit it to numerous major search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing to increase your site’s visibility worldwide and get traffic to your site.

How do I choose the right keywords for my website?

InstantTraffic will perform a detailed keyword research in order to recommend you with a list of strong and relevant keywords that you can use. These will be targeted keywords that we will choose based on your audience, your competitors, your site’s performance and incoming links. Using the right keywords can help your site rank higher and ultimately increase traffic to your site.

How can I get quality websites to link to my site?

InstantTraffic will do an analysis on your competitors to determine what they are doing right so you can use this information to your advantage. You will be able to see what sites link to your competitors’ websites and where most of their traffic comes from.

How can I market a website created with InstantSite, Website Builder and eCommerce from 123-reg?

If you are using InstantSite or Website Builder website creation tools from 123-reg to build your site or 123-reg’s eCommerce to run your online shop, then InstantTraffic is the perfect solution to market it on the Internet. It will help you increase your site’s visibility, get more traffic and increase sales. Once you implement it, you will get to use the powerful InstantTraffic tools to modify the URLs, titles, descriptions, alt tags and keywords based on our recommendations.

 Do you have other questions about SEO? Let’s hear them in a comment below.

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Alexandra Gavril is a web copywriter or as she describes herself “a recovering journalist”. Since joining the 123-reg team, she has been covering subjects on our blog from search engine optimisation to choosing the perfect domain for your website.

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Launched in March 2012, Scotland based password manager my1login is making a name for itself as internet users switch onto the critical need to protect their online passwords. The company, which uses 123-reg for domain, hosting and email services, has been making serious strides in the technology sector, with CEO Michael Newman interviewed on the BBC’s online technology section after just a month in business, showcasing the brand’s password management software.

So what problem does my1login solve and why is it important? In simple terms, the business offers a solution to users having too many passwords stored in different locations. The company has experienced fantastic traction in their user numbers and is already protecting in excess of 10,000 online accounts. ‘my1login employs military grade encryption, using stronger encryption technology than many online banking platforms. Users’ keys are never stored on the servers and therefore not even my1login employees can see or access users’ data’, Newman said in a recent interview with 123-reg.

The incredible start to the business is something that 123-reg is proud to be a part of. Speaking with Newman, it is clear that my1login values the assistance that 123-reg offers his business.

‘We’ve been delighted with both the domain, hosting and email services, together with the responsive support provided when needed most’, he said.

In the security industry, reliability issues have to be considered and it is a positive endorsement of our services that such a company chooses 123-reg.
‘Any reliability issues with domain and email provision would have been an obstacle to continued use. 123-reg’s high availability services have ensured this was never an issue’, Newman said.

With this is mind, it is no surprise that when asked what services my1login valued the most, reliability was again fundamental to Newman and his team.

‘As an always-on cloud-based password manager it’s vital that my1login are continuously available for our users. The reliability of 123-reg’s email and domain services is of great value in enabling us to provide an uninterrupted service’, he stated.

123-reg prides itself on providing a service that is both price competitive but also gives users control. We are delighted that our philosophy has helped my1login and other customers grow.
‘The speed with which services can be ordered and initialised, the easy-to-use and feature-rich control panel and the competitive pricing model of 123-reg are the perfect ingredients for any business’, Newman concluded.

It is our belief that my1login will continue to be successful and we are committed to providing a service that meets the expectations of Newman and his team. It is a wonderful reward for 123-reg to be playing a small part in the success of British entrepreneurs in such challenging times for start-ups. Moreover, the success of my1login should inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs.

To find out more about my1login please follow the link to their website.

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When it’s a fully functioning website.

Image courtesy of www.freedigitalphotos.net

The concept of blog hosting should be taken as a mere description of the tools available at your disposal and not the content you are going to use it for.

Yes, WordPress and the like were designed to primarily host blogs and they do that very well, but it is also a great engine to drive almost any type of site.

With 123-apps you have several choices of blog hosting free with your shared hosting package and here are six ways you could use your blog hosting to good effect:

1. Campaign website

If you need a stand-alone site for a one-off campaign quickly and effectively, a blog back-end is the perfect way of ensuring a professional looking website with the minimum of fuss.

2. Online store

Of course there are other more advances options like our eshop offerings but your blog engine with some nifty plugins (most are free) can very easily become a working shop for you. You don’t need high level programming expertise and you don’t need to spend hours trawling through help guides. Using a blog engine and ecommerce plug-ins is usually intuitive and you can produce a very respectable shopfront and link that to payment sites such as PayPal to turn it into a full working shop.

3. Community site

If you are involved in a local club, society or organisation the chances are the majority of people you are dealing with have a very limited techie knowledge but ideally you would want them to be updating the website. With a blog engine that is possible. If people can point, click and type, they can use a blog engine to update content.

4. Portfolio

We all have things we like to show off and if time and money are tight, using your blog to host that is the perfect idea. Using plugins, almost every type of content (written, drawn, photographed, on video, in audio, sculptured, etc) can be presented, promoted and archived. Plus if you fancy writing a bit about yourself, blogs are perfect for those About Us pages.

5. Online News site or Magazine

The Huffingon Post, Mashable, TechCrunch; all blog driven and all rather successful. Blog engines offer the ability to prepare articles ahead of publication, schedule them even update them once live. You can include dynamic content from Twitter, RSS feeds etc and very soon have a dynamic news channel up and running.

6. A traditional static website

Dynamic content is great most of the time, but sometimes something like an online business card or brochure is all that is required and while blogs can also help provide dynamic sites, their great forte is being at the heart of a clean, simple, informative site.

If you’ve got a 123-reg shared web hosting package, you’ve got blog hosting included free, so make sure you are making the most of it. Quick, easy and very flexible it is probably one of the most powerful tools that people on almost any level of web design expertise have at their disposal.

What’s the most unusual use you have employed for blog hosting?

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It was 2010 that the world first really became gripped with social shopping. Online shopping had already begun to become a serious rival to the high street, with voucher codes fueling the rise and then social networking elements kicked in too.

Traditional trade

The internet is often only a reflection of the physical more traditional world and money off vouchers are nothing new – Coca-Cola are known to have used them as far back as the 1880s in an attempt to gain new customers. They thrived for years but coupons were typically limited to 50p off a next purchase or maybe a Buy One, Get One Free offer. The internet changed that, they became easier to get hold of and easier to use. Sites began springing up across the internet harnessing these codes, first via more traditional web forums and then on voucher specific sites. Some businesses like Myvouchercodes.co.uk were set-up with vouchers forming the whole base of their business plan.

Bulk discount

Then came the bulk offering versions. Quidco and Piggyback leading the way. Bigger buying power, meant bigger discounts to be offered to the customer. Instead of 50p off, discounts stretched to 10% and more because more people were buying, the social buying phenomena was spreading.  The big success in social shopping has been Groupon leading the way in the collective buying power regime. Even bigger bulk buys, and some sexy marketing buzz via social media has led to many discounts on sites in excess of 70% with those taking the offers actively encouraged to share their bargain news with their friends and followers.

The changing economy may have had an impact too in the popularity of codes, vouchers and discount buying but the social media revolution has been at its heart. The ability to show off, share the love or simply spread a marketing message to a new market has seen social shopping snowball beyond just a bargain-hunters paradise. The modern generation like to share and brands like them sharing too. Buyers re-tweeting their purchase news are unwittingly also acting as unpaid but highly targeted brand marketers, and even highly traditional businesses are beginning to take notice of that.

Where next?

How shopping evolves next is yet to be seen. Some high street retailers have attempted to merge social sharing with traditional browsing but with limited effect. Trend reports suggest that more and more people use high street outlets to touch and feel a product before heading home and searching the web for the same product at a cheaper price and then surfing some more for the best discount code too. Future technology such as 3D printing may have an impact on how customers research products, but it does seem that voucher codes, social shopping and certainly social sharing are here to stay in some form or other.

We’ve long been supporters of voucher code type websites and have recently launched out first Groupon campaigns too and we will continue to support social shopping and other ways of offering top deals on our top products.

What do you think about social shopping? Where do you think it will head next?

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If you didn’t notice already, more and more of those presents you received last year were bought online. People turned to the virtual high street ahead of Christmas in their droves with lots of e-retailers tempting buyers in with pre-season sales. Yet the trend continued immediately after Christmas too with Experian HitWise revealing that Boxing Day (26th December) 2011 was biggest online shopping day ever in the UK.

According to the report, Visits to UK e-retail sites reached record levels on Boxing Day. 13 million hours were spent cumulatively by Brits shopping online on that day notching up a massive 96m visits. That was up an amazing 19.5% compared with Boxing Day last year.

The report highlighted that multichannel retailers accounted for the majority of visits during December, and in particular on Boxing Day with almost twice as many visits to multichannel brands than there were to online only retailers. However, the gap between the two groups is narrowing.

The UK’s retail economy is estimated to have been worth 81 billion Euros in 2011 with the e-retail market showing growth of 16% per year. The UK’s per head online spend is already the highest in the world and in 2012 the trend is set to continue as more people get connected at home and on the move and the Government makes legislation changes to encourage spend online.

If your business is not yet online, our ecommerce packages are the perfect way to get started. Have a look now.

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Developing a strategy that sells goods, services and brand

How to generate revenue from Facebook.

Facebook is the world’s largest social network. Today brands are investing more and more money on this platform in order to attract new clients and generate revenue. Nowadays, the success of a company is no longer measured by the numbers of fans it has on Facebook, but by the number of people from that database that are generating revenue. However, social networks should not be used to sell, but to influence the intent to buy.

There are a lot of e-commerce tools available on Facebook that companies can use to facilitate the purchase of products and services and create a one of a kind shopping experience for its customers. Facebook can be a powerful sales vehicle for those who know how to take advantage of its features.

Listen

The first step to creating social revenue is to listen to your customers. Monitor constantly what they’re saying about your company and don’t hesitate to interact with them when you feel it’s necessary. Social media plays an important role in purchase decision making these days and that’s because people search for information on products and services on forums and social networks. Users trust reviews of your products written by other people and are more likely to buy it if the reviews are positive. Today, word-of-mouth is more influential than ever.

Create a one of a kind user experience

You managed to get users to visit your page and become fans. But they can very easily unlike your page, so how can you get them to stick around? As a business, you can take advantage of the various APIs available on Facebook that can help you create a unique ecommerce experience for your fans. Some of the most important are Share, Like and Reviews (fans can comment on your products or services and then forward it to their friends; this can lead to more product views and can ultimately generate sales). The great thing about Facebook – and social media in general – is that your message can reach your members and then it can also reach the friends of your members, through friend suggestions. The impact is more powerful and the opportunities endless.

Guarantee an easy purchasing process

No matter if clients are purchasing directly from your website or from Facebook, they need to be reassured that the purchasing process is simple, secure and can be completed within minutes. However, Facebook provides some extra features that support “online window shopping” and these allow a client to purchase a product directly from the company’s Facebook page, without even having to visit its website. Companies can also integrate a payment system on Facebook for clients to use when paying for a product.

Measure results

Companies can use Facebook Insights – the platform’s internal tracking system – to track results. You can also get insights on your fans – such as age, location, etc, which can help when preparing marketing campaigns for Facebook. This tool can complement the web tracking systems you might already be using, such as Google Analytics.

Run social campaigns

Aside from these, you can also run various social campaigns on Facebook to generate revenue. For example, you can run contests with prizes in order to promote your  products and also share posts with the promotions and special offers that you have in your store, such as “deal of the day”. Consumers are spending more and more of their time online, especially on Facebook, so it’s important for companies to focus on clever ways to market products and  encourage people to purchase.

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From today until Monday 5 December the world’s favourite online auction site is going a bit more traditional to get into the Christmas spirit. The eBay Christmas Boutique pop-up shop is open in London’s West End over the next few days embracing traditional high street with modern sales opportunities.

While the online site offers somewhere in the region of 17,million items the eBay Christmas Boutique has just over 350 items on offer, which is effectively a window on the range of items available on the main site. In fact you don’t even need to take money with you to make a purchase as you will be driven to make payments online via PayPal.

The modernist looking store has a range of items all available as brand new, buy it now items on the online site. Each item in the store has its own QR code label which will push visitors to the online sale page once scanned with their smartphone. For those without smartphones, there are HTC tablets available for customers to use.

The store is geared at Christmas shoppers and those looking for suitable gifts for their nearest and dearest. The boutique is split into three sections the his, hers and family. Over 5 million are expected to visit the shop while it is open and with the first week of December being touted as the busiest shopping week of the year, eBay hopes to push its own sales up too.

You can find out more, including directions and opening hours on the Facebook Page.

When we recently tweeted about the store, the twittersphere had plenty to say, but do you think it is just a PR gimmick or could this be the very future of the high street? Have you come across other brands / stores using a similar push towards their online stores?

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