Sixty-one percent of customers surveyed said they would stop shopping with a retailer that is not taking health and safety seriously. In a Covid-19 world, can you afford to ignore their concerns?
Shoppers are still very cautious when it comes to returning to retail stores and are going to be selective on where they shop. A recent study by a global market research company* revealed that 61% will avoid a store because they don’t see tangible protections implemented that make them feel safe.
Using thousands of mystery shops across the U.S. they also found many gaps between customer safety expectations and what stores are doing:
- Employees at 25% of the stores visited wore face coverings improperly or not at all inside the store.
- 77% of the stores visited did not provide any hand sanitizing or hand washing solution inside the entrance.
- 64% of the stores visited had no staff actively cleaning interior high traffic areas, such as carts/baskets, counters, credit card readers, doors and demos.
- 31% of the stores visited did not have sneeze guard dividers at checkout.
Health and Safety Will Be the Most Important Issue to Customers for Many Months to Come
These numbers show that retailers need to better align their operations with the new realities brought on by the pandemic. On the surface it may seem that life is shifting toward the new normal but shoppers are still hesitant until they see the proof in your stores.
What health and safety measures have you put into place to show customers that you are serious about protecting them? Are your losing sales because they are not comfortable in your store?
The DisplayMax has created their Retail Renewal Services which is designed to help you fill the gaps in your stores and show shoppers they are your top priority. The program focuses on three critical aspects of your store operations where you can build a line of defense to keep customers safe: Customer Flow, Checkout Areas and Customer Safety.
Click on this link to learn more details or call (810) 494-0400 to talk with a retail specialists at DisplayMax.