Beyond the High Street: How Smart Cities Can Reinvent Retail

You’ve carved out a Saturday afternoon to shop for a dress for your sister’s summer wedding. It’s a rare window of child-free time, and you’re actually looking forward to it. Hopefully, you’ll find something stylish and special. Maybe you’ll even treat yourself to a solo lunch somewhere a little fancy!

But the stress starts creeping in before you’ve even made it to the shops. You’re circling for a parking space and the city’s packed.

Eventually, you park and start walking… is that a spot of rain? You’ve no idea which shops have what in stock, so it’s potluck. One store is too pricey. Another doesn’t have your size. A few more in, your feet are aching, time’s ticking on, and that leisurely lunch doesn’t feel quite so appealing anymore.

If shopping in the city feels like this much hard work, why wouldn’t I just order from the sofa?

Disconnected by design: why city shopping feels broken

It’s easy to blame ecommerce for the decline of city centre shopping. After all, shopping online is fast, easy, and 24/7. But the real issue isn’t that customers prefer digital…it’s that in-store shopping feels like a chore.

Most city retail journeys are fragmented from the start. Parking, public transport, shops and cafes might all serve the same customers yet operate in silos. The journey isn’t joined up. It’s just a patchwork of disconnected touchpoints, each requiring the customer to do the leg work. And let’s be honest…that’s not very inviting.

For retailers, the view is just as blurry. Who’s walking through the doors? How did they hear about you? Are they locals or tourists? First-time visitors or regulars? Without data, there’s no way of knowing, and no way to personalise offers, retarget marketing, or measure what’s working.

Meanwhile, rising rents and unpredictable foot traffic make profitability challenging. And when the modern consumer shows up with Amazon-fuelled expectations, the high street just can’t compete…unless it evolves.

It’s not physical retail that’s failing – it’s disconnected retail

The truth is that retail isn’t struggling because it’s brick and mortar. It’s struggling because it’s disconnected.

In fact, research shows that just 8% of shoppers buy everything online. That means 92% are still visiting stores. The desire to shop in person hasn’t gone away. But the experience needs to evolve.

“There’s no such thing as an offline and online business in the future. Businesses have got to be in line.”

In a world where most journeys begin online, whether you’re shopping, dining, or parking, retail is now omnichannel by default. Customers don’t distinguish between online and offline. They expect both to work together, seamlessly.

The challenge for cities isn’t to compete with ecommerce. It’s to integrate with it.

Rebuilding the experience with digital tools to make city shopping worth the trip

City shopping + ecommerce = a collaboration made in heaven. It’s not about choosing one over the other – it’s about combining their strengths. And that’s where a smart city platform like Rezcomm comes in.

By connecting retail, transport, parking, dining, and events, smart cities create smoother, more rewarding journeys for customers, and better outcomes for businesses.

Pre-booked parking

Let’s start with the first barrier to retail: parking. Circling for a space or dashing through the rain doesn’t put anyone in the mood to shop. Pre-booked parking removes the stress and can be bundled with store or restaurant incentives, encouraging spending before visitors even arrive.

Click-and-collect

Today’s shopping journeys often start online, with customers browsing, comparing, and deciding before they even step outside. A smart city platform supports this behaviour by enabling seamless click-and-collect across retailers, so people can reserve items in advance and plan their visit with purpose. It takes the uncertainty out of shopping, boosts confidence, and encourages additional in-store purchases – turning intent into higher-value footfall.

AR previews

Augmented Reality lets customers “try before they buy” from home, boosting confidence and intent. Love that new floor lamp? See how it looks in your living room before collecting in store! In fact, 71% of shoppers say they’d shop more often if AR was part of the experience. Smart city platforms can even cross-sell complementary items, adding value and increasing spend.

Geo-personalised offers

Smart platforms can trigger real-time, location-specific offers, based on where a customer is and what they’ve shown interest in. A personalised lunch deal after a morning of shopping. A discount at the boutique where they reserved an item. These small nudges help convert visits into sales, and casual footfall into loyalty.

“They love to customise and personalise. They scrutinise everything.”

Today’s customers expect tailored, data-driven experiences. And with the right digital tools, cities and retailers can give it to them.

Cross-promotions

A smart city isn’t just a place to shop – it’s an experience. Retail, dining, transport, and events can be packaged into compelling itineraries with personalised promotions, transforming a quick errand into a full day out.

Centralised data insights

All this activity results in valuable data. Retailers and city planners can see what’s working, shape strategy, and deliver more of what customers love, whether that’s tracking click-and-collect trends, measuring event impact, or refining loyalty offers.

Retail revival starts with reinvention & reconnection

City shopping isn’t dead. It’s just out of sync with what modern customers expect.

People still want to shop in person. But they also want ease, relevance, and joined-up experiences. When parking, retail, and promotions operate in silos, the whole journey suffers.

Smart cities don’t try to compete with ecommerce – they integrate with it. They connect every touchpoint to create retail journeys that are seamless, personalised, and worth showing up for.

But none of it works without one thing: customer trust. And that’s exactly what we’ll be diving into in our next blog post.