Start Planning Now: How to Reopen Your Retail Business
Opinions may vary about how and when, but I, like most Americans, am thinking about what life and business looks like when stay-at-home restrictions are removed. In Texas, where I live, the governor has a task force that is working on the logistics of opening schools, places of worship and, for the benefit of the economy, businesses. The President also weighed in with a three-phase approach called Opening America Up Again.
Safety is the main concern for all when considering how to get commerce energized and people out of their houses and purchasing goods. How your business returns to operations impacts not only your customers but also your employees and your reputation. Planning will be essential to a smooth roll-out.
What Remains: Online and Digital Ordering
To offset the months of lower foot traffic, continue to maintain a robust, streamlined process for purchase on your website or through an app. Give buyers the option for delivery or scheduling curbside pickup at your physical location. Many of your customers will appreciate the opportunity to see a friendly face and to rebuild their routines.
What Changes: Notifications and Email Alerts
If your business requires you to get up close and personal, like stylist or cosmetologist. Typical waiting areas are not an ideal place for customers who are concerned about their health. You can help people get past the worry with clear communication about what the experience will look like.
Enhancement: Gift Cards, Mobile Apps and Credit Toward Services
Even if you don’t have a hard timeline in place yet for reopening, encouraging customers to order gift cards for themselves or as gifts to others not only brings cash flow into your business but it also builds anticipation for redeeming the credit. Along with re-investing in your companies website, invest time and money in building a mobile app for your brand that allows your to notify them via push notifications and incorporate augmented reality (AR).
Bottom Line: Start Small, Be Cautious
As we navigate the reopening of public life together, I want to give you a reminder to lead with empathy. Uncertainty makes it hard to anticipate customers’ reception to in-person experiences, so be sure you’re exceeding expectations with your digital presence. Allow the brick and mortar game plan to follow the guidelines and messaging of the online experience, a reversal of the way things used to be.
Fold in the opportunities for clients to connect with you face-to-face, ensure their and your safety by following guidelines from elected officials and healthcare professionals, and nurture your relationships by treating every engagement with kindness and a view on the long-term outcomes. We’re in this together.
Originally published at Sterling Smith.
