The COVID 19 pandemic has been one of the deadliest around the world causing millions of lives to disappear in thin air. The world has drastically changed in the ways it used to function and created an all-new environment of opportunities for the people.
While the lost lives cannot be recovered, every government and organization in the world is trying its best to reduce the damage that has been caused by taking measures to improve the quality of life of the people that are remaining and battling the pandemic fiercely.
Abiding by the New Rules
Even though the guidelines have been issued that govern for people to stay at their homes as much as possible, there is a different side of things. People have to go out for business because honestly not everything happens online. A lot of businesses would be relied on physical processes still for their everyday activities.
And as per big data analytics, their earnings have to a halt due to the pandemic. But, thanks to the measures around the world, people have started returning to normalcy. This means that they are returning to their business as usual but with proper precautions and the right measures.
While online businesses have not experienced a huge loss since their operations and selling products are already online, it is the retail segment that has suffered the most. While brick and mortar stores had suffered due to the digitization of business, the pandemic took this entire thing to an altogether new level. In other words, while people loved ordering online and Amazon became their favorite go-to store, they still preferred going to the retail store.
Looking at New Options for Retail
But now that the pandemic is thereupon us, people are avoiding going to the stores for a variety of reasons. This includes standing in long queues, waiting for your turn for payments, and more. In fact, everything about the retail store reminds us of the time when the most exposure to people happened.
And now because people don’t have that choice, they are going to be completely confining them to online shopping. For retailers to make people come back to their store, they will have to work hard and travel extra miles for the job. New facilities will have to be introduced for customers and proper sanitization measures will have to be taken.
Let’s take a look at what all retail organizations can do to improve this and draw more customers-
Digital Solution
Businesses will have to invest in a digital solution that helps them become independent and make money even if their retail division suffers. Because customers will not prefer stepping out of their houses anytime soon, organizations will have to reach out to their doorstep.
In other words, digital solutions can be empowering and push the customers to purchase even when they don’t like to go out. This will also be a safe method, making people more drawn towards your offerings. Digital solutions like mobile apps can also help your inventory move. They will help you make purchases as you did in the usual model. The only trick is to capitalize on this opportunity fast and provide lucrative options to the customers.
In-App Payments
In-app payments are one of the best ways to keep your audience safe and secure. Even if you plan to open your store in a post-pandemic COVID situation, allowing online payments will do half of your job. For example, if your customers come and shop from you, they can just pay for a thing by scanning a QR code on it and walking away with it. No more long queues on payment counters anymore. With in-app payments developed by power BI developers, the customers will get the option to pay via multiple modes of payment. For example, they can choose to pay via cards, cash, UPI payments, and more.
Customer Loyalty and Rewards
Customer loyalty and reward points are surely something that draws the attention of every customer. They are used as a popular business tactic for customers so that the customer can make a purchase and be loyal to shopping from a business. So, when your customers are shopping for a brand from your store, make sure to have a reward system in place that adds points for every purchase they make. This will push them to make more purchases and draw their attention towards businesses.
Chat as a Sales Rep
When people can’t talk to sales reps, they often lose their interest in a purchase. This is especially when they are buying something big. Providing the option to chat with your sales executive even if the customers can’t come to the store can give you the advantage. Make sure to have all the important features of the chat and even if there’s a bot behind, ensure that its responses are real.
For retail businesses, this is in fact a very tough time. Organizations don’t want to lose their customers but at the same time don’t want to be the hotbeds for the spread of a pandemic. spread of the pandemic. Therefore, they will have to embrace digital technologies and adopt a more omni-channel approach.