How Retailers Are Planning To Revive Their Businesses

The challenge infront of the retailers would be to ensure that they adhere to the new safety norms because when it comes to consumerism, going ahead, health will be the big motto...

- Charu Lamba

Lockdown 3.0 is almost about to get over. There are clear indications that some pockets will soon open whereas some pockets will continue to remain shut. The retailers in green zone are gearing up to open their stores after getting a go-ahead from the government.

Speaking at a webinar organised by Retailers Association of India (RAI), Ajay Kapoor, President-Retail, FabIndia shared his thoughts on how retailers are preparing for the coming months, saying, “The challenge to the retailers would be to ensure that they adhere to the new safety norms because when it comes to consumerism, going ahead, health will be the big motto. We will be seeing very low footfalls coming in due to fear in consumer’s mind. Even as a retailer, if we get some footfall, we will have to see and ensure how we regulate the traffic coming into the stores. Window shopping experience that we have been used to in malls is probably going to go away. We will have to see how we can use the tech-platforms in the best possible way to ensure that we keep on servicing the customers as per their requirements. We have not been thinking about shop by appointment till now but probably that is going to be the new norm apart from wearing gloves and masks at the floor.”

Adding to this, Bhupesh Dinger, Director, Enrich Salons said, “Consumers will definitely be coming back to the salons within weeks of opening for essential services like haircut, colour, waxing, and threading. But clearly there is a segment of business which is more of indulgence like treatment of hair, advance facials, which I think, customers will choose to differ till the time they get more comfortable with the way this is going.”