4 Ways in Which Essential Retailers Can Support Customers During the Pandemic
Navigating through the changing regulations hasn’t been easy for both companies and individuals.
Though, there are a few steps essential retailers can take to ensure that their customers can continue to shop for essentials in a safe and stress-free environment.
Providing Diverse Services
When we think of essential retail, we usually think of food, toiletries, and cleaning supplies. Though, there are retailers who are going beyond just offering these products and adding services that can help improve the physical and mental wellbeing of their customers.
For instance, Grocery Business recently shared that Save-On-Foods is expanding its on-demand telemedicine services (which are free for its customers).
Last year, the grocer, along with its partner CloudMD, had announced its plan to pilot telemedicine kiosks in nine pharmacies across British Columbia. The idea was to enable customers to connect with a doctor virtually for prescriptions and non-emergency health concerns in real-time and get the prescribed medications directly from the pharmacy.
So, expanding your offerings to support your customers can not only help your customers but also build brand loyalty.
Safe Retailing
When it comes to retail … the focus will continue to remain on ‘safe retailing’ in 2021.
As lockdowns continue and physical distancing measures remain in place, essential retailers have to ensure that all strict hygiene and cleanliness protocols are implemented.
Additionally, as an essential retailer, you may also be experiencing demand volatility. Hence it is important to ensure that you are minimizing possible disruptions to your supply chain and ensuring that essential items are available.
Similarly, ensuring the contactless pick-up and delivery options are available is also important. This is where partnering with a retail merchandising company, like Storesupport, can help. We can help you safely scale up your capabilities in these areas.
Communicate. Communicate. Communicate.
As the situation continues to change, customers are looking to retailers to provide guidance and clarity.
It’s always a good idea to continue updating your customers through your online platforms as well as in-store. For instance, you can look into creating a page that addresses commonly asked questions and add AI-powered chatbots to your website.
So, as you recalibrate your inventories, to line up with consumer demand; effective communication can help you identify potential issues or get insights into the needs and preferences of your customers. This can enable you to enhance your current processes and protocols.
Embrace Technology
Lastly, but most importantly, you can improve the customer experience by embracing technology.
Investing in e-commerce is a good starting point. According to Statistics Canada, retail e-commerce sales reached a record $3.9 billion in May 2020, a massive increase of 99.3% over February 2020! You can also look into integrating contactless payment options.
Additionally, when physical retail spaces gradually open up, technology can help you sync both online and offline transactions, inventory, and promotions. It can bring together e-commerce and brick-and-mortar stores to deliver an unmatched omnichannel experience.
When it comes to customer service, Storesupport’s experienced team can become an extension of your team and ensure that your customers receive the support they deserve both in-store and outside. Connect with us today to learn how we can help. Call 1-877-421-5081 or visit www.storesupport.ca.
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