SPECIAL COLUMN
NEXT NORMAL
THE
IN RETAIL by Rosemarie Ong
President , Philippine Retailers Association
SEVP-COO , Wilcon Depot
I ’ ve been working in the retail industry for over 30 years now and this is the opportune time to become more innovative , adaptive and responsive to the needs of our customers .
Our current situation has changed lives around the globe . Everything — from the way we live , work , study , and shop — is now different . All industries , sectors and communities are greatly affected , and they must respond and adjust quickly to the changing needs of their workforce and customers , and navigate through the operational changes in adapting to the next normal in retail .
After the government mandated quarantines and lockdowns nationwide , retail stores were forced to close and suspend their operations . The e-commerce marketplace boomed and consumers also shifted to spending on online channels since they weren ’ t able to go outside . With the pandemic impacting everyone ’ s bottom line , businesses rapidly strategized to move digitally in engaging customers and remaining relevant in the industry .
Shopping safely
Everyone has become more concerned about health and safety . Retailers are making the health and safety of its employees , customers , and the communities where they operate their utmost priority . Retailers have responded by increasing deep-cleaning procedures throughout their store especially all high-frequency touchpoint and regulating the number of customers inside the story , among others .
Innovative customer services
For retailers , I think this unprecedented time calls for innovation . For one thing , the crisis has led them to a new way of thinking about integrating different strategies in their day-to-day operations . Currently , more and more retailers are finding ways to adapt and engage with their customers digitally . Two of the innovations retailers have introduced are Buy Online , Pick up In-store ( BOPIS ) and same-day delivery service .
Like other retailers , Wilcon implements strict safety measures to make its stores and corporate offices safe for its valued customers and employees , including temperature scanning , sanitizing shoe bath , implementation of no-mask , no-entry policy , provision of hand sanitizers and alcohols , as well as social distancing inside the store .
All our stores undergo regular cleaning and sanitation , provide gloves and face shields to our employees , and we have installed partitions in face-to-face transaction areas , and provide of contactless payment options like bank transfers , GCash and PayMaya to augment our no-hand-contact policy .
Wilcon also introduced its browse , call , and collect / deliver shopping options , which allows customers to shop for their home improvement and building needs on the Wilcon website and find the products they want to purchase . Customers can call / text / Viber to place their orders , and collect their purchases in-store or have them delivered to their doorstep .
As we move towards 2021 , I can say that a lot has already happened . I ’ ve been working in the retail industry for over 30 years now , and to all retail leaders out there , I know this is the opportune time to become more innovative , adaptive and responsive to provide for the needs of our customers . We also need to be united as an industry to thrive together and rise to this occasion .
* First published in propertyreport . ph
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