Consumers are justifiably nervous about reentering the new marketplace. The chance of contracting coronavirus while shopping in a crowd of customers is terrifying for many. Experts say that companies that meet or exceed the health safety measures shoppers expect during this tense time will gain their trust — and spending dollar.
According to Inc, San Francisco-based Yelp, the consumer-sourced review app, has a list of features for businesses looking to improve their safety approval during the coronavirus crisis. They include:
- Social distancing enforcement
- Sanitizing between customers
- Staff wearing masks and/or gloves
- Limited capacity
- Contactless payment
- Temperature checks
- Customer masks required
Akhil Ramesh, Yelp’s head of consumer product said it’s important for businesses to use clear language when they communicate their safety and sanitary measures. For example, he told Inc that it’s important to say that you are sanitizing equipment between customers and not just saying you are sanitizing.
A new website ShopSafely has an informative list and ranking of the top retailers across the country that specifies what measures they are taking to deal with coronavirus precautions. The list is updated regularly. Target and Best Buy scored an “A” on their list while HomeGoods and Marshalls rated a “C”. Ace Hardware and Hobby Lobby were at the bottom of the barrel, each scoring an “F” rating
Shopping centers and malls which already were hit hard by online shopping are facing a particular challenge to lure customers back. According to the Hartford Courant, a new report from Coresight Research predicts that the coronavirus outbreak will cause 25,000 U.S. store closings this year, with 60% of them located in a mall.
Some centers already have changing shopping patterns to lure customers back. They are using vacant stores as pickup locations for online ordering from one or more of their tenants to facilitate shopping.
“You’re starting to see mall operators look at whether they can configure their parking lots to include a drive-thru lane for parcel pick up,” said R. Michael Goman, an East Hartford real estate adviser. “A common delivery point, I think customers will respond to that.”
Lynn C. Allison ✉
Lynn C. Allison, a Newsmax health reporter, is an award-winning medical journalist and author of more than 30 self-help books.
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