What:  Now that there is light at the end of the tunnel, customers are back in stores, which changed significantly in the course of a year

Why it is important:  Since customers grew accustomed to many of the strategies listed here, the basis playbook changed with the addition of many must-haves (which used to be considered as gadgets prior to the crisis).

Retailers and brands had to rethink their operations during the Covid crisis and the consequent lockdowns. Now that there is light at the end of the tunnel, with some countries already experiencing a back to normal kind of situation, customers go back to stores, only to find that they have changed and massively adopted new features:

• Frictionless payment options: contactless, self-checkout,
• The store as a part of the digital ecosystem: kerb side pick up options, BOPI, store inventory available online,
• Safety protections considered as a must-have (gel, social distancing, new ways of displaying products) including when redesigning stores,
• Addressing local customers with a carefully curated product offer and marketing strategy,
• Reviewing the set up of the stores: since they are also here to serve as a local fulfilment platform, the net retail space is not king anymore, as back rooms increase to be able to serve that strategy,
• Private shopping increased in quantity and quality during the pandemic, and customers are now expecting this as a basic service,
• Stores are also ‘social hub’: since they had to find ways to stay open during lockdowns, including creative reasons not always linked to their primary activity, they acquired new savoir-faire and techniques that will prove key in making sure customers are coming in, and returning. Therefore, the store is confirming its central position in the digital ecosystems retailers and brands have built.

Take a Look Inside The Post-Pandemic Store