McDonald: Licking County retail sector thriving

I have a surprise for some of you. Despite what you might hear and read, retail is not dead. Not nationally, and definitely not in Licking County.

Ecommerce has, certainly, changed the way we shop. I receive emails and texts every day offering “door busters”, “online specials” and “internet exclusives.” Yes, I shop online. But nothing can convince me that brick-and-mortar retail is dead. Why?  Because humans do not just shop to get stuff – at least not any more than we go to restaurants purely for nutrition. I think we shop or choose to go “shopping” to fulfill other deeper needs – the need to disconnect, to socialize and commune, and enjoy the experience of being out in public. We shop to interact, not just to “interface!”

As a young girl, I can remember looking forward to Saturday. Saturday was the day my mom, three sisters and Grandma would go shopping. We’d all pile in the car, enjoy lunch out and stop at various stores. We’d walk in to Carol’s Department Store and I can still remember the perfumes, the music, shiny jewelry and seasonal merchandise. You could smell it, touch it, see it - it was an experience and it is a lasting memory. That’s something retail, and our local Licking County retailers, continues to deliver.  Interpersonal experiences.

The movement towards consumer “experience” is a growing retail trend. And rightfully so. For retailers to prosper in the face of ecommerce competition, they need to focus on the physical, human experience of shopping. It’s a part of the fabric of a community – of our community. I experience it throughout our county in the interactions in many of our entrepreneurial retail establishments in Downtown Newark and Granville, as retailers and customers connect throughout Heath’s Indian Mound Mall, at restaurants and specialty stores throughout our community. So, while shopping is a means of acquiring the things we want and need (or sometimes convince ourselves we do!), it’s also a meaningful social activity that appeals to our deepest human tendency to gather in groups.

I’m not naive enough to think that retail stores won’t need to evolve to thrive in a virtual world. I think stores will increasingly become places that we visit, not simply to pick up mass-produced items, but also to design and co-create special things with the personal assistance of experts. Whether it’s customizing a suit or your own “signature” jewelry piece, building a one-of-a-kind notebook computer, or designing the perfect bicycle, stores will be the point of collaboration and customization. These elements of customization will make for unique personal and physical experiences. I see that happening, already, in our own community. Beyond that, smart retailers will build a brand loyalty with consumers. Once that loyalty is built, the actual “buying” may happen through any of several buying channels: online, in-store, mobile or elsewhere.

So, is retail dead? Not a chance. If anything, it’s the very pervasiveness of online alternatives that’s causing the best stores to thrive. Even Google has opened retail stores in the past few years. And as President of the Chamber, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t mention spending your money locally. We have a myriad of unique, experience-based retail stores in Licking County that deserve our business. So, why not get off your computer and experience our local retail choices the next time you have goods to purchase!

McDonald is the president of the Licking County Chamber of Commerce.