It’s a matter of Time

 I recently read a wonderful quote from Margaret Peters regarding time and it got me thinking.  Will people value their time differently coming out of this pandemic? Are there insights that retailers and brands can consider as we re-open for business? 

Over the past few months, I have been taking note of how people are dealing with the new found time compliments of COVID-19.  Time gained from no commute (or greatly diminished traffic).  Time gained from working at home with fewer meetings and office disruptions.  Time gained from furloughs or other business closures.  You add it up and there is more time on our hands today (including me) than we have seen in recent years.

What I love about this quote is that we are seeing right in front of our eyes what really matters.  Families are spending much more time together of late and perhaps something we can thank a virus for.  Do I have any hard data?  No.  What I do see, however, is that bicycles are sold out. Anything to do with water sports (pool, fishing, kayaking, etc) are all sold out.  Outdoor and fitness footwear and apparel are limited in availability.  Puzzles and games, gone.  Garden supplies, gone.  You get the idea.  

As I talk to friends and business leaders in the footwear and apparel industry, it seems that very few, if any, plan to have employees coming back to the office before the end of the year.  This would suggest that many of the product trends we have seen of late will continue.  I would also argue, that even when we come out this crisis, the value of time will have changed and the lasting effects in terms of priorities could stay with us for quite some time.

What does this mean for brands and retailers?  In my last paper, I argued that people are social animals and like to shop.  I still believe this to be true and continue to argue the importance of retail.  What I would add is that brands and retailers must work more closely together than ever before to create safe shopping environments and develop new ways to bring consumers to brands and retail partners.  The time is now as the long term health of the industry depends on it.

I jumped on a call with Dave Nash at Sun Diego based in San Diego, CA (but of course) to get his perspective.  During our conversation he said several things that really stood out for me.  He said that with stay at home orders for both office workers and students, all are staying connected through their laptops.  By definition this makes them mobile.  Parents can still get their work done on line and students can get their education through remote learning.  Families are therefore getting outdoors and purchasing those products that enable them to do so.  He also had the point of view that a lack of team sports has put a greater emphasis on individual activities which is playing out in the products being purchased in store. SoCal has always been about a healthy lifestyle and people are now even more concentrated on health and outdoors.  Dave and his staff have taken several measures to make consumers comfortable/feel safe in Sun Diego stores.  The good news is that the local community, according to Dave, is not worried about waiting in line to shop and is following safety guidelines.  The store has a comprehensive cleaning schedule while dressing rooms and the cash wrap are cleaned immediately after use.  Apparel that is tried on is steamed before going back on the shelf.  Employee temperatures are taken every day and all are asked to wear either a face shield and or mask.  Masks are also offered up to shoppers if they need one. It seemed from our call that Sun Diego has created a safe shopping environment for both consumers and the staff.

Offering a safe shopping environment is first and paramount for any retailer.  Consumers will still want to shop in store when possible.  Face coverings, sanitizing stations, posted cleaning schedules, contactless payments, clear procedures for try-on, curbside pickup, etc. are necessary for both the customer and the employee to feel safe.  Leveraging digital will also be important for retailers.  

I had a visit with Guido Silvestri at CIVIL in East Greenwich, RI this week.  CIVIL has 3 stores in RI and are savvy when it comes to digital technology.  Like Sun Diego, they have taken measures in store to make both customers and employees feel safe.  Additionally, they have leveraged their digital platform to help drive commerce and to implement additional safety measures.  A good example of this is how they implemented 100% contactless sales for special release footwear (these offerings can bring over 100 people to their stores at one time).  Through an email raffle, this product is sold on line and shipped directly to the winning customer.  This has allowed CIVIL to maintain a clean shopping environment for their regular foot traffic while driving excitement around the CIVIL brand on line. Guido also shared that they are spending more time on digital product descriptions, cleaner site navigation and better communication with customers.  Their goal is to create a better relationship with their customers both on-line and in-store (seamless).  If you have not been in their stores, they have done a great job connecting with the local skate/action sports community.

I also read an interesting article this week from an industry news provider Glossy where they interviewed both retailers and landlords regarding retail of the future.  In the article it discussed the importance of the customer relationships/personalization, in-store experiences, community and consumer convenience.  The article highlighted the need for digital technology to create a continuous experience for customers (think seamless here).  Technology that would also allow store staff to address customers by name (using Uber as an example).  Covid-19 is forcing many retailers and brands alike to flex and come up with ways to meet the challenges of this pandemic. Creating safe and compelling shopping experiences and using digital as an enabler toward these efforts will be critical as stores reopen for business.

Retailers will no doubt look to brands for ideas and assistance.  I believe brands and retailers will have to get closer than ever before regarding technology, operations and trust.  Inventory feeds, customer information sharing, priority in shipments from warehouse to retailer, expanded customer service support (live with customers in store), robust product description feeds and imagery (just to name a few) will have to occur.  I believe retailers will have to get comfortable with the digital world if they have not done so already. To use a cliche, the time is now!  There has been a lot of talk over the years about seamless commerce and its about time this happens.

I would love to hear other thoughts and ideas that can be shared toward this effort.  Please feel free to share your comments in response to this paper.