How do I make sure the floor staff also remains safe?
Great question!
Be Clean…Like, Really Clean
As stated in our previous blog on how to improve your in-store customer experience, cleanliness will always be important to customers— and it’s also really important for protecting your workers. If you choose to offer self-service vehicles (ex: the iPads as pictured above), be sure to have sanitization wipes/products located next to the device. Employees should be instructed to wipe down these devices periodically while visitors are encouraged to do so after each use. (If you decide to offer sanitization wipes, make sure you have a disposal bin located near the device!). Staff members should continue to wear reusable masks and disposable gloves if they feel safer doing so.
To protect your workers who are checking out customers or providing customer service assistance, personal space is a high necessity. Build out your checkout area to encourage distancing. When choosing design pieces for this area, opt for that larger countertop instead of the narrower one. Adding a latched piece to your preexisting POS counter is an affordable switch (like this clever counter -shown to the left)! This design provides extra space during transactions, without compromising floor space or needing a entirely new fixture.
Promote Your Practices
How are your customers going to know you are implementing these systems if you don’t let them know. Tell them! Use your social platforms and newsletters to inform your followers of your changes. This can help assure them that you are taking the necessary measures now that your store is back up and running. It shows that your brand is compassionate towards their needs, understands their concerns, and is willing to take action.
Use sensory cues in your shop to subconsciously promote your cleanliness practices. Use shades of white, greens and blues throughout your space to signal an essence of nature and purity. Scents such as linen, lavender, and bergamot subconsciously trigger feelings of ease and freshness — helpful in setting the mental mood for your shoppers.
Basically…
No one knows for sure when social distancing rules will be lifted, but it is important to be mindful of its aftereffects. Consumer concerns and apprehensions will not just disappear when stores can reopen. Familiarizing yourself with alternative options and thinking about solutions now will set your retail space up for success later.
by, Georgiana Zilli