In today’s InternetRetailing we continue to report on how consumer behaviour is changing during the Covid-19 pandemic – and how retailers are responding.
Next today said it was reopening its website – slowly and following far reaching changes to its warehouses – as it looks to satisfy demand in the most necessary areas. But after opening only two categories for purchase, customers had exhausted the retailer’s capacity to process those orders within hours – and the website was back to browsing mode. Next’s video on how it has changed its operations to make it safe for shoppers may provide a useful ‘how to’ example for other retailers as they look to ensure their staff are working safely.
Our Covid-19 rolling report also covers how the pandemic is affecting prices, how Boots is temporarily closing some of its stores in order to put its resources in the right place to meet consumer demand.
We’ve been mapping consumer behaviour ourselves through the RetailX Coronavirus Consumer Confidence Tracker, with the third set of findings out today. It suggests that the way we shop continues to change under pressure from Covid-19, although more slowly than previously.
Debenhams has made its own preparations for life after the coronavirus by putting itself into a ‘light touch’ administration that it says will protect its business in the short-term and enable it to operate once more when its stores are able to reopen.
Other retailers, meanwhile, are benefitting as consumer behaviour alters during the pandemic. Naked Wines has seen demand rise – and it now expects full-year turnover to pass expectations.
But it’s hard for all retailers to say how the coming months will unfold. We’ll continue to map developments regardless.
In today’s guest comment, Andre Hordagoda of Go Instore argues that it is important for retailers to evaluate the current climate in order to remain profitable.
Image: Screenshot of Next.co.uk
