Ever since the pandemic started, a lot of people have made lifestyle changes that ensured their health and safety. Statista published some stats earlier this year that showed the great and unprecedented impact that COVID-19 has had in almost every facet of our lives.
Even as states and economies have been reopened, the pandemic’s lasting impact is believed to most likely outlast it. For businesses, this means that whatever adjustments they implemented to comply with the CDC’s COVID-19 guidelines will still be observed. Work-from-home arrangements will most likely be a widespread practice given its various benefits.
Retail shops will most likely continue to conduct business online and tap into other resources, such as apps that have shipping API, to help them deliver high-quality services to their customers and clients.
But for retail shops, especially bricks-and-mortars, to really make the most out of what’s happening now, owners need to clearly make some long-term changes to the way they operate and market their business.
In-store marketing will be crucial to retail shops at this point. Retailers know that their in-store marketing is key in elevating and promoting awareness about customer and employee health. The tricky part about implementing the necessary changes is making sure it remains as relevant in the future as it does today.
For retail shop owners to keep their doors open for as long as possible, they need to consider the following practices.
Take health and safety seriously.
When word got around that a deadly outbreak was taking place in China, a lot of people didn’t really pay much attention to it and just shrugged it off, thinking that it’ll be contained to the Far East. However, when the outbreak turned into an epidemic at an alarming rate, folks started to take notice. Even the World Health Organization started to take it more seriously and began preparing for the worst-case scenario.
If we had only taken this seriously at the beginning, we wouldn’t be in this mess right now. But now that it’s here, there’s nothing else we can do about it but to make the necessary adjustments to ensure our safety. And it all starts with our staff and employees. We need to make sure that we adhere to COVID-19 safety measures and guidelines to have a risk-free customer experience.
Use the information available to you to your advantage.
A Numerator survey released in May found that 84% of shoppers said that one of the essential things they look at when considering where to shop is a store’s sanitation procedures. The more confident they are of how a shop follows proper sanitizing procedures, the more likely they are to visit and buy from them.
Aside from this number, store owners and retailers need to know what the statistics are in their local areas to give them a better idea of how to improve their operations and procedures further to give their clients and customers a greater sense of peace and security — enough to get them to continue to visit and shop at their store.
Let your marketing be inspired by the seasons.
Although the biggest concern we all have right now is COVID-19, business owners can also take inspiration from the different seasons and incorporate them into their in-store marketing tactics.
Customers feel that one of the best ways that brands can advertise during this pandemic is when:
- Establishments share information on how they are taking care of their staff and customers and addressing the present climate;
- When they include COVID-19-related information in their campaigns;
- Give everyone a sense of normalcy despite the unusual circumstances; and
- Take attention away from the negative by doing something positive or humorous.
That being said, as the holidays are fast approaching, establishments can take advantage of this season and use it to create a sense of continuity and normalcy that, despite the pandemic, life goes on, and we will celebrate the holidays just as we did before.
Make use of signages.
Lastly, utilize signages and other visual cues to emphasize how serious you are in the battle against the deadly disease. Customers are anticipating that shops and establishments are taking the necessary precautions by doing a little remodeling. Owners can change their shop’s layout to encourage and not hinder physical distancing. Put up reminders on your walls about certain safety protocols. Place large stickers on the floor as distance markers.
Although human beings are intuitive, we sometimes tend to forget things and need a little reminder once in a while.
Although there is still no end in sight for the pandemic, this doesn’t mean that there’s no longer any hope for businesses to recover. Adapting is one of our strengths as humans. We’ve made it through some of the worst times in history; we’ll make it through this.
