The Human-AI Advantage: Driving Success on the High Street (Part 2)
I want to explore how businesses—especially high street retailers—can leverage AI to thrive, boost sales, and strengthen local economies.
AI can be incredibly powerful in helping us make better commercial decisions, but its true value is unlocked when paired with experience, insight, and a deep understanding of our customers. During my time managing retail stores—at Clarks and Screwfix—I frequently made commercial decisions based on promotions, the weather, current trends, and customer behavior. These decisions were guided by hands-on experience and by the insights my team and I gathered about our customers. Sales and NPS didn’t just improve because of offers or stock placement—they improved because my staff and I truly understood the people we were serving.
At DownYourHighStreet, this principle applied at scale. I regularly refreshed the homepage, updated category landing pages, and collaborated with marketing teams for social content, and to send relevant emails to target cohorts. Each decision was guided by a mix of data, experience, and understanding of our audience.
Today at PropertyBox.io, we use AI to make properties look their best, increasing the chances of catching a potential buyer’s attention—essentially, helping a sale happen. The same principle applies to independent retailers: AI can analyse trends, provide recommendations, and highlight commercial opportunities, but the human element decides what actions to take. For example, AI can help ensure brand standards are maintained across multiple branches by sending clear recommendations on promotions, merchandising, and customer engagement strategies.
Retailers can also use AI insights to make proactive, customer-focused decisions—like improving the click-and-collect experience, creating slick in-store processes, or designing promotional campaigns that resonate. People buy from people, and AI is there to help you make the best commercial decisions, free up time to wow customers, and ensure your team is delivering the right experience every time.
Used correctly, AI doesn’t replace human judgment—it enhances it, helping us make smarter, faster, and more customer-centric decisions. By combining technology with training, experience, and buy-in from the team, we can help our high streets thrive, strengthen our communities, and drive the economy forward.
How would you use AI to make smarter commercial decisions in your business while keeping the human touch alive? I’d love to hear your examples.
