Exploring customer experience on the High Street
Dr Ilze Mertena, Senior Lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University and a member of the British Academy Early Career Researcher Network (ECRN), has been awarded a grant from the ECRN Seed Fund 2024 to lead an exciting new project that places independent high street businesses at the heart of the experience economy.
The scoping study, titled Exploring In-Store Experience Design in the UK High Street Micro and Small Enterprises, will work with micro and small businesses. Through workshops, discussions and field visits, the project aims to understand the barriers and opportunities these businesses face in creating compelling in-store experiences for their customers.
“While major retailers have access to cutting-edge tools and consultants, smaller high street businesses are often overlooked” said Dr Mertena. “This project is about levelling the playing field by identifying the real needs of small enterprises and supporting them with practical, co-designed solutions.”
Running from April to December 2025, the project will:
- Engage directly with small and micro enterprises across Stockport.
- Explore their challenges and strengths in delivering customer-centred in-store experiences.
- Identify practical ways to support innovation in experience design.
- Establish a collaborative network of businesses, academics and industry experts.
Dr Mertena’s research responds to a growing need for personalised retail experiences, which are increasingly seen as key to revitalising local high streets. This project will bridge the gap between academic theory, business innovation and real-world application.
Participants will be supported with workshop opportunities and incentive vouchers, with the project also aiming to produce an experience design toolkit tailored to independent retailers. Findings will feed into a larger funding bid and be shared in academic and public forums, including a potential article for The Conversation UK.
As the IPM continues to support people and organisations committed to transforming high streets and town centres, projects like this highlight the value of place-based research, collaboration, and the role of small businesses in building vibrant local economies.
Interested in collaborating or learning more?
Contact Dr Ilze Mertena at i.mertena@mmu.ac.uk.
About the author
Formed in 2006, the Institute of Place Management is the international professional body that supports people committed to developing, managing and making places better.