The Future of Shopping

JFK once said, “When written in Chinese, the word ‘crisis’ is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity.” There is really no other way of looking at the coronavirus pandemic; it’s part threat and part possibility. At the beginning of our first phase of lockdown, I wrote an article for Heyday about the new normal for women in terms of how they shopped. I spoke to store owners about the increased demand for athleisure wear and loungewear, and about sky-rocketing online sales. But six months later, it’s clear the ramifications for retailers and consumers are much more serious and far-reaching than any of us could have imagined in March.

But there’s as much to look forward to as to be fearful of. Times of great turmoil often lead directly to eras of good fortune; after the Spanish flu came the Roaring Twenties, the devastation of WWII led to the stability of the 1950s, and according to retail expert Mary Portas, this pandemic is likely to lead to a “kindness economy”. In an interview with The Guardian, the woman once charged with reviewing the future of Britain's high streets by former Prime Minister David Cameron, explained that companies which have reacted well to the crisis by respecting their customers, their employees and the planet will thrive in the future. Consumers will look to companies that reflect their own values and will support those that have proven it during the worst of times. She explained that, “Every £1 is a vote, a vote for how we want to live.”

This is a powerful statement. We talk about spending our money where it matters, but putting it in such politicised terms crystallises the importance of what and who we invest our finances, and our faith, in. Millennials are notorious for seeing through self-interested corporate brands and filtering out inauthentic advertising. Maybe now society as a whole will follow suit and hold companies to a higher standard. There’s power in numbers, and collectively, consumers have the muscle to, not just hold brands accountable, but create real consequences for the ones who refuse to consider more than just the bottom line. That kind of thinking is becoming as offensive as not wearing a mask in an indoor public place.

Smart organisations have already begun redefining their message. Selfridges in London, for instance, launched Project Earth in August. This five-year sustainability plan includes a clothing rental service which allows customers to hire luxury goods such as handbags for a four-day period for a fraction of the retail price. The plan also includes a secondhand concession store called Resellfridges, which will allow customers to exchange their own items of clothing for a Selfridges credit note. A “Repair Concierge” service for, among other items, trainers, jewellery, handbags and denims, is also part of the package, while the overall mantra on the website is “Let’s change the way we shop”. Cleverly, the retail giant isn’t just changing its business model, it’s changing how it speaks to and engages with customers. It’s not saying, let’s change the way you shop, it’s invoking the royal we, which immediately creates a sense of unity, a feeling of community, and an upbeat attitude of “we’re in this together”.

This is what we want from a shopping experience these days, and this is why local boutiques and retailers are faring so much better than department stores right now.

In an interview with The New York Times, director of retail studies at Columbia University’s Business School, Mark A Cohen, went so far as to say that department stores “...are toast, and looking at the other side of this, there are very few who are likely to survive.” The difference is that when you spend money with a neighbourhood business, you’re putting money directly into that individual owner’s pocket, rather than fattening some anonymous shareholder’s wallet. You’re helping to keep the local business community alive and well, which means a thriving locality, which in turn means a prosperous, pleasant place to live. And of course, the kind of personalised service you receive in a local boutique – where “everybody knows your name” to quote the soundtrack to eighties sitcom Cheers – is literally priceless right now when so many of us desperately want to feel connected to others and to feel part of something. Supporting local retailers makes you feel as if you’re a small part of their success because you can see the tangible results, which you in turn benefit from.

Mary Portas predicts that there’ll be a “hyperlocal subscription service” going forward, with local businesses offering regular deliveries to customers. Will this extend from greengrocers and wine merchants to luxury boutiques? Maybe. Havana in Donnybrook now delivers directly to customers’ doors. At a time when women don’t want to try on clothes in changing rooms for fear that the items may not have been sanitised adequately, and when they must restrict their movements, but remain keen to support local businesses, stores like Havana are offering the ideal solution. Why order from Net-A-Porter when an Irish-owned boutique, which employs Dublin-based women, will ensure your luxury garment arrives safely at your front door with far fewer people having handled it?

This move to more localised spending by consumers is being reflected in how large companies are now managing their production line. According to The New York Times, “Covid-19 caused havoc in fashion supply chains. Many businesses are now reassessing their global approach to production.” Brands are looking to source supplies from closer to home as they did half a century ago. The globalisation of the industry, which facilitated the stack ‘em high, sell ‘em cheap mentality, is finally revealing its’ flaws. Just like buying clothes from your local boutique; designers and brands who buy from their own localities are investing in their own communities and creating a sustainable cycle, and one that they can control and supervise more easily. In Ireland, Stable is a brand that was founded on this principle. It has gathered up our own Irishness and sold it back to us in a beautifully contemporary package, all the while supporting the Irish economy, local craftsmanship, and small rural businesses.

On the international stage, emerging designer Thebe Magugu, who won the LVMH Prize in 2019, sources fabrics and labour from factories and artisans in Johannesburg and Cape Town in his native South Africa. Meanwhile, Irish designer Richard Malone, who took home the International Woolmark Prize at the beginning of this year, has rooted his label in recycling, waste reduction and Fair Trade labour since it was founded six years ago. In an interview with American Vogue, Malone said he felt he’d been protected from the deluge of production delays, cancelled orders and overstock other brands have experienced since the pandemic took hold because essentially he operates “outside the system”. According to Malone, “I think there is a new luxury [emerging] whereby people will want to buy something because of where it comes from.” And to be clear, a sweatshop in Bangladesh is not what he’s referring to.

Both of these young designers are already working within the so-called “kindness economy”, and it’s up to each one of us to support that. This pandemic will leave a legacy, but it doesn’t have to be all bad. Perhaps even one day, banks, mortgage lenders and insurance companies will become part of the kindness economy? Imagine that...? No, I can’t either.

The Future of Shopping

join the conversation

home · About · membership · store · Contact · terms · PRIVACY