Modern mainstreets need to go beyond what’s a ‘normal’ retail strip, becoming destinations of experience. They need to offer more than just selling ‘things’, with offerings that constantly change. A ‘constant start-up’ strategy is required.
It’s more about the experience and less about the shops. Where place and people are just as important as quality and communities benefit more than just individual businesses. These areas celebrate the authentic, bespoke and personalised experiences.
Storytelling connects visitors with local identities and creatives working side-by-side. That’s when mainstreet ‘legends’ come to life. Everything is hands-on and nothing is observed or experienced from a distance.
Let’s talk emotions.
For businesses and traders, it’s important to consider how you want your visitors to react, think or feel. They want to feel important and valued, part of a unique group, remembered, accepted, educated and inspired, and part of something bigger – a community.
Once you know the answers to these questions, you can help create these emotions. This helps consumers care more about where and how they spend their money, as there’s greater soul and personality in the brand offerings.
Experiences become intimate and there’s a sense of rarity and scarcity among traders. Artisan products will take over mass-produced.
Tactical partnerships.
Modern mainstreets unify traders. And tactical partnerships allow two parties to create product and service offerings that don’t currently exist. Businesses work together to identify key gaps and continue to de-construct and re-build experiences on an ongoing basis. It never stops.
People visit more regularly because they experience something they can’t find anywhere else. As a result, partners access new markets that may not be possible if working alone.
As you start thinking about evolving your own mainstreet, first consider these potential roadblocks:
- Attitude of unhealthy competition amongst traders and unwillingness to explore partnerships
- Unwillingness to invest in infrastructure, product and people capability
- Believing your own hype and resting on what has worked even last year or the year before for your business or mainstreet
- Not understanding the real desires and hot buttons for your most ideal customers
- Not knowing who your ideal customers are
- Inability to define brand personality and how this can be leveraged to shape modern environments, people and product offerings
- Inability to showcase new and emerging offerings. Sticking with tried and true.
Next up, we’ll be covering what a dynamic, ever-evolving mainstreet looks like.
The modern mainstreet is more than just shopping, now. It’s about creating a mini destination.
At Kiikstart, we’re dedicated to helping people have more choice, influence and control about how they live, work and learn. If you’d like to hear more about what we do and the benefits for our clients contact us today on 0428 593 400 or email enquiries@kiikstart.com.