I don't know about you but I've had a mobile phone forever!

The last time I went into a 'phone shop' would be about 15 years ago. When I need to upgrade my phone or negotiate my contract today most of that process is done online.

I tend to rely on my business colleagues and family for my due diligence research around the contract provider and type of phone I should upgrade to.

I once lost it (my phone that is) on a train at the start of what was to be a 3 week long international business trip. 

The trip started in 'South Africa' and then went on to a further 2 week business related trip up/down the east coast of the US. As I was outside of the UK I was informed by my mobile provider that apart from 'blocking' the phone nothing could be done until my return.

To say that mild panic and anxiety set in is an understatement as not only did I need it to keep in touch for business, but it was also how I kept in touch with my family whilst on the move.

One thing this pandemic has shown all of us is that use of mass consumer technology has been the key to keeping in touch along with keeping business going.

According to GSMA real-time intelligence data, today, there are 5.20 Billion people that have a mobile device in the world. This means that 67.11% of the world's population has a mobile device.

Mobile phone shops today still play a vital role in helping people to be informed along with some kind of personal service. However, they're not as pervasive as they were some 15 years ago because of the huge shift to the online space.

But, they can still play a huge part in how we choose one provider over another - here's how.

Shaw stores have been redesigned to provide customers with an immersive destination where they can explore, learn, and interact directly with the latest Shaw products and services, including Shaw’s suite of in-home technology. All stores are designed with physical distancing in mind and will continue to adhere to applicable health and safety protocols to keep customers and employees safe. (link below)

As the sector continues to innovate and move with changes in behaviour the mindset also needs to adapt to the fact that not only because of this pandemic have people stopped visiting 'physical' retail stores, something they were already moving away from which includes city centre locations in favour of 'going online'.

As 'Shaw' introduces a new wireless service in Canada that leverages Shaw’s Fast LTE and Fibre+ network to provide Shaw Internet customers with an innovative wireless experience that can virtually eliminate their monthly wireless data bill I can't help but think they could have gone one stage further.

I can't think of a better way to 'become front of mind' over other competitors in this space by using 'live in-store streaming' to not only showcase the effectiveness of the 'fibre network' but also to inject some fun, authenticity, and information to 'encourage' people who are still anxious about venturing out to 'engage' so much more with the new innovation.

The whole push to reinvigorate the store network just seemed to have missed a key ingredient which is 'consumer first' - what about you?