I don’t know about you but some of the rubbish you see in national newspapers really gets to me, if I have to read another article in the papers here in the UK about the X factor in the US I think I’ll go mad!
But hey I suppose that’s what sells newspapers and because there’s news now on demand 24/7 available on your phone, on TV, Internet, radio etc the papers need to cover soft news just to fill the pages
Do You Want To Be FREE?
If this photo does it for you then it’s really important you listen up to the moral of this post later on, but before that, read on ……..
The ‘Power’ Of The Press
But just occasionally you’ll come across an article that’s really got some credibility and depth to it and makes you sit back and take stock of what’s happening out there, and the above headline although not word for word was one I came across in essence a week or so ago.
The Internet & It’s Impact on our Day to day Lives
For me it was an article about the impact that the Internet and online shopping is having on the High Street stores here in the UK. For instance you put the current economic situation, a recession that is now in its fourth year here, lack of borrowing ability for many – hey those days of re-mortgaging your home that had gone up in value and spending the money on ‘must have’ essentials like the exotic holiday, just a dim and distant memory.
And then the big bad internet comes along and the likes of Amazon and EBay and they just end up being the final nail in the High Street retailer’s coffin. The article sited household name stores, Woolworth’s, Zavvi, Dixon’s, Comet etc etc – naturally for some of you reading this in the US some of these names won’t mean a lot, but believe me here in the UK when some of these names disappeared (bear in mind not all of the above called in the administrators, Dixon’s quit the high street for just online, & Comet has just flagged trading is difficult due in part to online sales) it was a big deal, Woolworth’s a household name for many generations.
And the big news today is Debenham’s here in the UK has announced its lost £491 million in last 9 months again a profit in the same ;period last year £60 million and now it will close a third of it stores. Yes its tough but you can’t and shouldn’y blame it all on online shopping that’s just daft!
Don’t Believe All You Read
But my point here is you need to dig a bit deeper rather than just taking the headlines at face value. Both Woolworth’s and Zavvi as trading names have risen from the ashes and are now just online, Dixon’s is only online and Comet have a large online presence – so although yes the internet has had an impact on High Street retailing it has also provided at opportunity for entrepreneurs to either grab hold of a dying brand and revitalise it and/or for existing businesses to broaden their trading platforms to encompass not only offline but online as well.
Think Outside The Box
The thing that really annoys me though is that its not like the Internet has just arrived, just exploded onto the scene and shock, horror traditional retailing is doomed.
The demise of the High Street has been growing for years – out of town shopping malls, supermarkets now selling every product you can think of, recession and yes now the Internet.
If however you look at the more savvy retailers out their yep you’ve guessed it they have seen it coming & have developed their online presence alongside their offline one. Embracing change is a vital component of a successful entrepreneur.
What Can YOU Take Away From this Post?
The moral guys for us as internet marketers with online businesses is simple – don’t think ONLY online, consider the offline world and especially the offline marketing opportunities as well – think about traditional advertising methods, specialist magazines as an example.
Don’t ever allow your marketing to be one dimensional and reliant on say article marketing only, use all the resources to the best of your ability. Finally embrace change because whether you like it or not it’s happening, you can’t stop it and the best place to be is in front of the curve
Do You Really Want Freedom?
Same question I asked at the beginning – if so, keep on learning, testing and experimenting with new ideas. And finally consider this never, ever has there been the opportunity that is currently there because of the Internet. Be a cup half full kind of person, don’t dwell on the negativity of many, grasp the opportunity of online businesses and prosper. To your success online.
Tony Phelps
