Growing numbers of independent retailers are selling on the virtual high street through sites like MyHigh.St.
MyHigh.St offers specialist independent stores an online selling platform to those customers who find online shopping convenient, without undermining the overall local economy.
What makes MyHigh.St different to other online shopping sites is its ‘Towns’ feature; this allows retailers to work together, and towns to promote their unique features.
The web designers develop a branded and tailored website for each town – a High Street showcase attracting visitors online and in person, this then links to the town’s MyHigh.St page where potential customers can browse and shop the town’s stores with ease.
By giving customers the opportunity to browse a town’s stores 24/7 from anywhere in the world, MyHigh.St says the site can help boost the local economy, promote towns and bring profit to local high streets.
To sign up, retailers must have an independently owned bricks and mortar store. The site charges 10% commission on each sale, as and when they are made. There are no joining fees for independent retailers.
Once a product is sold online the retailer is notified and is then responsible for packing and posting the product to the customer. There is also a ‘Click & Collect’ option which can help draw customers to the town and other independent stores.
Working with the British Independent Retailers Association (BIRA), MyHigh.St currently features stores from 160 towns across the UK. In the near future MyHigh.St hopes to achieve Target 200, which is a national programme that will take 200 High Streets and thousands of independent shops online.
To find out more, watch the YouTube video or email the MyHigh.St team at [email protected]
Holly Steenson
• We’d like to know what you think about the MyHigh.St model for online selling. Could it work for your store, and the independent health food channel more generally? Please leave a comment in the box below.
