In 2025, the line between online and offline shopping continues to blur. While headlines still paint a bleak picture for the high street, with declining footfall and frequent store closures, the truth is more nuanced.
Ecommerce is indeed growing – and fast – but it doesn’t mean the death of bricks-and-mortar retail. Instead physical stores are evolving. Those that survive and thrive are the ones that understand how to integrate digital strategies into their real-world operations.
Ecommerce should no longer be seen as competition, but as a powerful ally that can help revitalise in-person shopping experiences.
According to recent figures, shopper football in the UK has dropped by 2.2% in 2024, compared to the previous year – the steepest decline since the pandemic years. Yet, at the same time, ecommerce sales continued to rise, with online retail seeing an 8.3% year-on-year increase by July 2025.
However, this isn’t a straightforward story of one format replacing another. Research has found that around £52 billion of non-food online sales in the UK involved a physical touchpoint, whether through click-and-collect, showrooming, or returns.
This underscores the growing importance of an omnichannel strategy, where online and office retail not only coexist, but actively support each other.
If you’re a high street retailer still trying to find your footing, here are five ways you can make your physical store work in harmony with your online operation.
1. Offer Click-and-Collect Services That Drive Footfall
One of the most effective ways to bring online shoppers into your store is by offering a click-and-collect option. In 2024, nearly half of UK consumers who shopped online during the festive season chose to collect their items in person.
This was not only for convenience, but also to avoid delivery fees and delays. By giving customers the choice to collect items in-store, retailers open up valuable face-to-face interactions and increase the likelihood of spontaneous, additional purchases.
Moreover, when done well, click-and-collect can become more than just a collection point. It can be an opportunity to up-sell, showcase new ranges, or promote in-store exclusives.
The experience must be smooth and efficient, though – poorly managed collection desks can quickly alienate customers who came in expecting convenience.
2. Mirror Online Promotions with In-Store Exclusives
Ecommerce brands are well known for dynamic promotions. Flash sales, daily deals, limited-time bundles and targeted discounts. These tactics are often data-driven and time-sensitive, designed to create urgency and boost conversions. Physical retailers can use similar approaches to energise in-store visits.
By mirroring your online promotions with compelling in-store offers, or better yet, offering in-store exclusives tied to your digital campaigns, you can give customers a reason to visit.
For example, promoting a ‘today only’ bundle that’s only available in your physical locations can drive urgency and encourage engagement/ These tactics also help build anticipation and habit – customers may begin to regularly check your store to see what the latest offer is.
In today’s competitive retail environment, blending promotional strategy across both channels is critical for keeping shoppers engaged and converting interest into revenue.
3. Embrace Smart Tech to Attract and Engage Shoppers
Smart retail technology has advanced considerably in recent years and is no longer reserved for tech giants or luxury brands.
Many high street retailers now use tools like in-store kiosks, augmented reality, and mobile apps to help shoppers browse, discover and engage. A particularly effective strategy involves the use of geolocation or beacon technology.
When implemented correctly and with user consent, these tools can send targeted notifications to passersby, promoting current in-store deals or alerting them to items they browsed online.
Additionally, digital kiosks are becoming increasingly popular in physical stores, these kiosks can display the full online catalogue, allowing customers to order items not available on the shop floor, or to check availability and pricing instantly.
This creates a seamless shopping journey, especially in stores where space or inventory is limited. The use of technology not only modernises the customer experience, it helps close the gap between browsing and buying – regardless of the channel.
4. Optimise Store Layout Through Heat Mapping and Behavioural Insights
Much like ecommerce websites use analytics to understand where users click, scroll or exit, physical stores can now harness similar insights through in-store heat mapping.
Technologies such as football sensors and video analytics can help retailers understand which areas of the store are attracting the most attention and which ones are being overlooked.
With this data, you can make more informed decisions about your store layout. For example, if you find that certain displays receive more foot traffic than others, those high-visibility zones can be used to showcase new arrivals, seasonal promotions or higher-margin products.
Conversely, underperforming areas can be reimagined or reconfigured to improve flow. Optimising your physical space based on real data – rather than intuition – can significantly increase in-store engagement and, ultimately, sales.
5. Make the In-Store Experience as Seamless as Online
User experience is the backbone of any successful ecommerce business. Websites are constantly being tested and refined to reduce friction – whether through faster loading times, simplified checkouts or tailored product recommendations. The same level of attention needs to be given to the in-store experience.
Everything from store layout and lighting to music, customer service and queue times contributes to how your brand is perceived. If the in-store experience feels outdated, disjointed or frustrating, it can undo all the work you’ve put into your digital presence.
Retailers should also ensure that staff are well-trained and informed, particularly when it comes to answering questions about online products or helping with digital orders. Customers should feel that the service s consistent and joined-up across both channels.
In addition, allowing customers to return online orders in-store – or vice versa – is now considered standard practice by many leading omnichannel brands.
This not only improves convenience but gives retailers another opportunity to interact with customers who may otherwise be lost to the online returns process.
A New Imperative: Turn Stores into Community Spaces
In 2025, one of the biggest shifts in retail strategy is the move towards experiential and community-driven retail. Physical stores are increasingly becoming hubs for more than just transactions.
Brands that host workshops, launch events, classes, or product demos in-store are seeing stronger engagement and greater brand loyalty.
By turning your space into a destination – not just a place to shop – you create emotional connections that ecommerce alone can’t replicate. These kinds of experience can then be amplified online, encouraging digital audiences to come in an see what they’re missing.
This hybrid strategy not only drives footfall but helps future-proof your business against the evolving demands of modern consumers.
Final Thoughts
The future of the high street doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game between online and offline. In reality, both channels perform best when they work together.
Physical stores have a unique role to play in enhancing ecommerce, just as ecommerce can support and extend the reach of bricks-and-mortar. Retailers who understand this and invest in connecting the dots – through technology, customer experience, and clever integration – will be far better placed to survive the ongoing retail evolution.
As we head further into 2025, now is the time to stop seeing ecommerce as the enemy and start using it as a tool to bring your physical store to life.
, updated 17th September 2025.
