Town Promoter Update - February 2019

I started writing this column discussing the epidemic of online shopping and the effects it is having on our High Street but with two paragraphs of statistics, I had sent myself to sleep so here’s the re- write!

I think everyone is aware of and most of us use online shopping at some point (the UK is currently in the lead for percentage of all retail sales) and it can certainly be a convenient way to shop, but I suspect we have all had problems with returning goods, packages not turning up and getting subsequent refunds, delays in deliveries and being disappointed when the item purchased really doesn’t reflect what you thought you’d ordered. Online shopping might be good but it certainly has its downsides and will never be able to compete with personal service; seeing, touching and trying out (or on) the product you are about to purchase. You won’t bump into your friends or neighbours and end up catching up with some useful information about what’s going on in your town or hearing a bit of gossip! You can’t pop into the newest coffee shop (welcome Zest Cafe!) or restaurant (welcome A LA Turka and Little Ships!) and try out their delicious menus! You won’t be getting any exercise or discovering new shops (welcome the two new shops in our High Street) and you certainly won’t be absolutely confident that the product or service you are buying is going to be the right one!

These are a few of the reasons that we all need to support our town centre before it’s too late. It really is a case of using it or losing it and this is true all around the country. We are lucky here in Ramsgate and we still benefit from having a working town where nearly everything you require can be bought. Remember (and here are some stats that aren’t too boring!), if only half of us (20,000 people) spent just £5 a week in the town, that would amount to £5,200,000 per year!

Even better news is that research shows that £10 spent with a local independent shop means up to an additional £50 goes back into the local economy. This is simply because the nearby shop owners, who you are spending your money with, will then put that money back into your local community by going into local pubs and restaurants etc, thus circulating the money and allowing your community to thrive. And of course, we have the added reassurance that if something is wrong with the locally purchased product, we can have a face to face conversation with a real person and ultimately get great customer service which is something, in my experience of Ramsgate businesses, we have in abundance! Keep up the great work local businesses and we will keep using our lovely, local shops because customer service is crucial to any savvy shopper!

Written by:
Rebekah Smith,
Ramsgate Town Promoter