PUSHING FORWARD
THROUGH THE PANDEMIC
Tips & Tools for Canadian Retailers Navigating
the COVID-19 Crisis
Introduction by Andrew King
So here we are…
Virtually the whole world has been
impacted by the ongoing international
COVID-19 pandemic, and the Canadian
musical products industry is no exception; if
anything, it’s likely to face more significant
hardships than most.
That said, the Canadian musical prod-
ucts industry can’t be treated as a monolith
even at the best of times. The country is big,
demographically and geographically diverse,
and provinces and territories have adopted
different policies and approaches pertaining
to this particular crisis.
Beyond that, our MI landscape is equal-
ly varied. We’ve got mega-stores in major
cities and mom-and-pop shops serving
wide rural areas; specialty stores and those
with everything but the kitchen sink under
one roof; businesses mostly or entirely
driven by online sales and those without a
proper working website – and everything in
between.
As such, there’s no “one-size-fits-all”
approach to navigating these challenges;
instead, we’ve cast a wide net to get input
from retailers across the country on how the
pandemic is affecting them, their biggest
concerns with what’s to come, and a slew of
resources to help everyone push forward.
We’re committed to keeping you up-to-date as
the situation progresses, so keep a close eye on
www.canadianmusictrade.com and our social
media pages, and don’t hesitate to reach out
with any questions, concerns, stories, or ideas
at any point.
Reach us at [email protected] or
905-374-8878.
20 CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE
CHECKING-IN ACROSS THE COUNTRY
In late March, CMT sent out a survey to MI retailers across Canada to find out how
the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting their operations, and measures they’ve taken
in response.
CMT: Is your store currently:
Open for business as usual – 5%
Open for business for usual hours but with special conditions – 30%
Open for business but with reduced hours and/or special conditions – 35%
Temporarily closed – 30%
CMT: If your store has a lesson program, have you:
Continued with lessons – 0%
Temporarily stopped lessons – 44.4%
Moved to online/remote learning – 55.6%
CMT: If you’ve continued operations with regular or reduced hours, which
of the following measures have you taken in response to the COVID-19
pandemic?
(Select all that apply):
Significantly reduced staff – 35%
Partially reduced staff – 5%
Heightened sanitation efforts – 65%
Pushed focus to online/phone sales – 60%
Lowered prices or launched sales – 10%
Initiated by-appointment shopping – 40%
Initiated “curbside pickups” for customers – 50%
CMT: Aside from the options above, are there other measures you’ve taken in
response to the pandemic? If so, what?
“I have extended the repair and restoration schedule to a two-week turnaround, allowing
plenty of time for the germs or bacteria to be neutralized.”
“We are essentially closed but are talking to customers on the phone, working on an updated
website to hopefully get sales, and are dealing with a limited number of people on an appoint-
ment basis.”
“Moved all our lessons online via FaceTime, Skype, and Zoom.”
“I am hoping to take the time to make improvements to the website, which hopefully will help
drive sales.”