Retailers 'harnessing the internet' as drop in footfall recorded

Scottish retailers are becoming "increasingly adept at harnessing the internet" as footfall continues to fall on the high street and shopping centres, according to a survey.

Footfall in Scotland was down 0.6% in October compared with a year ago but represented a small improvement on September's figures.

Across the UK, footfall was 0.2% lower last month than a year ago, unchanged from the decline in September.

The figures were published in the monthly SRC-Springboard Footfall Monitor.

Experts said there is a "glimmer of hope" in the improvement in the shop vacancy rate and called on both the UK and Scottish governments to provide support for shops in upcoming budget statements.

David Lonsdale, director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said: "Shopper footfall in Scotland sagged slightly once again in October, and for a sixth successive month, albeit at a less pronounced rate than the month before and also when contrasted to the average of the past three months.

"We do have to keep in mind that Scotland's retailers are increasingly adept at harnessing the internet and multi-channel innovations to get through to consumers who might not have time to travel to the shops.

"The improved shop vacancy rate in our town centres provides a welcome glimmer of light, more so as it comes after three successive quarters of deterioration.

"We look forward to seeing whether this develops into a sustained improvement in shop vacancy rates or whether it simply reflects retail units being taken up on a temporary basis in the run-up to the crucial Christmas trading period.

"With the clock firmly ticking down towards the Chancellor's Autumn Statement and Finance Secretary's Scottish Budget in a few weeks' time, retailers will be looking for convincing action to bolster consumer confidence and also stem the relentless rise in government-inspired cost pressures."

Diane Wehrle, marketing and insights director at Springboard, said: ''October is fast becoming an important 'look and compare' month for shoppers ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which is driving up footfall across all retail destinations.

"The result of a 0.6 per cent drop in footfall in October this year and rise of 0.5 per cent in 2014 were significant improvements on the drop of 2.7 per cent in 2013 is evidence of the importance of Black Friday and Cyber Monday."