This year’s coronavirus and Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way businesses work entirely. The vast majority of companies have had to make major changes to their operations and their procedures to ensure that they stay afloat and avoid collapse. If you run a business, chances are you’re going to have to make some changes too. Not only are you going to need to make changes to comply with government guidelines and strict regulations that have been put in place to slow the spread of the virus, but you’re going to have to make changes that will help customers to feel safe and comfortable when shopping with you, rather than allowing sales to slip through your hands through lack of effort or negligence. There are, of course, a huge number of changes that you can make to make your business more accessible to customers and to maintain sales during these difficult times. But here are a few that will make a significant difference!
Ensure Queuing Customers are Comfortable
The number of people that you can allow into your store at any given time is limited right now. You need to make sure that everyone can fit inside while maintaining a two metre distance between one another, so store capacity is significantly reduced. This means that more customers are going to have to queue outside and wait their turn to get in. This is fine in the summer when the weather’s nice and the temperature is comfortable. But now we’re entering the winter months, you may find that customers would rather not queue and will avoid your store as a result. Instead, make sure that everyone waiting is comfortable. Fit lights from this link if there aren’t effective streetlights overlooking your property. The nights draw in earlier, which means it will be dark during usual shopping hours. Provide branded umbrellas for customers to use if it starts raining. You may even want to consider heat lamps that can keep waiting customers warm.
Making Sure Customers Feel Safe
Making customers feel safe will make a big difference too. People are scared of coronavirus and may not want to spend time in stores near people from other households. By making sure that all safety measures in your store are always in place, people may begin to trust you and will come in. Make sure you provide hand sanitizer near the entrance and other key locations. Ensure all of your staff are wearing face masks. Use social distancing stickers on the floor in areas where people queue. Provide barriers at points where people may be near to one another – such as clear barriers between the side of the till where a staff member is working and the side of the till where a customer is standing.
As you can see, the key to making your store accessible during the pandemic is to ensure that customers are safe and that they are also comfortable. The small changes listed above really can make all the difference, so give them a try!