If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught business owners anything, it’s that disaster can strike literally at any moment.
Few entrepreneurs and store owners were prepared for the pandemic and even fewer had the finances to outlast such a devastating financial blow.
However, for all of the businesses that did survive, reopening is another uncertainty that could be the final nail in their business’s coffin.
But no entrepreneur worth their salt would go down without a fight.
If you’ve been contemplating reopening your business amid the pandemic, then you need to understand how to inspire confidence in your customers in order to draw them in and encourage them to shop with you again.
So in this post, we’ll be covering a couple of strategies that can help your retail store recover amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Speaking to your employees about reopening the business
If you haven’t already, it’s a good idea to speak to your employees about reopening.
Start the conversation by speaking in your group chat or one-to-one with each employee. Ask if they’re able to come to work and if they’re willing to do so.
It’s important to establish a sense of trust here because your employees will likely be hesitant to return to work unless you’re ready to protect them and ensure their financial security.
Some employees may be hesitant to return to work due to fears of catching the virus.
There’s not much you can do here except try to convince them. As uncomfortable as it may be, you’ll likely need to consider replacing them if they’re the only employee that isn’t willing to return to work.
While it can lead to some disputes, you’ll have to try your best to convince your employees that you’ll take care of their health and will install the right countermeasures in your store to protect them.
This can be a rather difficult task, so it’s important to be open about your plans to reopen and use transparency to your advantage.
The clearer you are about your goals and plans, the more likely you’ll get your employees on your side.
You’ll need to deal with both logistical and emotional concerns, so understanding your employees and their personal circumstances can go a long way.
Preparing your employees and store for reopening
There are a couple of ways that you can prepare your employees and store for a reopening during the pandemic.
For starters, we highly suggest that you order plenty of safety equipment and supplies to keep the store clean and hygienic.
We also suggest buying a few boxes of masks that your employees can use if they don’t have one or need a new one. To inspire even more confidence in your customers, you could also get a mask to match your work uniforms.
Custom masks are relatively inexpensive and they can help complete your work uniform during this pandemic.
You’ll also want to keep plenty of hand sanitiser around for both you and your employees to use, and you shouldn’t neglect the use of temperature sensors if you want to be extra careful about who you let into your business.
Next, you’ll also need to educate your employees about the rules of your business and also how they should be handling customers that refuse to wear a mask.
During the pandemic, you’ll likely encounter people who refuse to wear a mask or will take it off once inside your store. Depending on the type of store you run, it’s important to establish a set of rules that you want to enforce.
If you’re operating a business that doesn’t require masks, such as a restaurant or café, then this won’t apply to your business.
Lastly, you’ll also want to establish some kind of cleaning routine to help inspire confidence in your customers.
For instance, you’ll want to disinfect and thoroughly clean tables that people have been at, then put a small sign saying that it has been cleaned and is ready for customers.
Similarly, you’ll want to wipe down any kind of machines or displays that customers have touched.
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Promoting your store opening
You’ll want to remind people that you’ve opened your store. This can be done in a number of ways, but we highly suggest using your marketing channels to get the message across.
For example, if you have a social media presence then you can use it to remind people that you’re open again.
Post on Facebook, Instagram and also Twitter if you’re active on those platforms. In these posts, you’ll also want to hint at or explain the measures you’re taking to protect both your customers and your staff from the pandemic.
It’s also important to update your Google Business listing so that the opening times are accurate again.
Many businesses forget about their Google Business listing which makes it difficult for people to know if you’re actually open or not. It only takes a minute to edit your settings and it’s a quick way to remind your customers that you’re open.
Adjusting your business to fit with your customers
Your customers have likely changed their priorities and behaviours.
How exactly they’ve changed has yet to be seen and documented, but it’s important to watch your customers, how they react and also the types of products they buy.
For example, with higher rates of unemployment, you may find that customers are less likely to make impulse purchases or spend on expensive items.
You could try to adapt to this new behaviour by introducing cheaper products to draw in loyal customers as you reopen.
As another example, customer priorities have changed significantly and will likely affect the types of purchase decisions they make.
As an example, some families may be looking to stock up on certain products so they don’t have to leave the house as often.
This means that selling in bulk with discounts could be an effective way to take advantage of a niche in your market.
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