Retail Assist report: what’s next for retailers as Covid restrictions ease?

There remains a great passion for the high street and physical shopping experiences as non-essential retailers return to action following coronavirus lockdowns.

That’s a key takeaway from a new Retail Assist report entitled Life After Lockdown: What’s Next For Retail?

We've spoken to the industry's finest to get the lowdown on what's next for retail 🛍️

Download our latest whitepaper for insights from @mazzaknights, @ScottThomps74, @NelsonBlackley, @andrewbusby and @Alex_Broxson!

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This includes insights from Nelson Blackley, independent retail analyst, Andrew Busby, Co-founder, SafePrem Solutions, and RTIH’s esteemed (ahem) Editor, Scott Thompson.

Here’s what the latter had to say on the matter:

“The narrative of online dominating the retail space as physical retailers become also rans is too simplistic.

When non-essential stores were closed due to lockdowns, more consumers ventured online, many for the first time. This was due to their options being limited, it wasn’t the result of natural shopper preferences.

Online penetration will come down as restrictions are lifted. I think we will see the majority of shoppers make up for lost time as non-essential retailers start to reopen their stores.

People will be keen to resume normal life, and a large part of that is physical experiences, the cinema, theatre, restaurants, going on holiday etc. This in turn will benefit non-food retailers, with fashion, in particular, enjoying a resurgence.

But that is not to underestimate the acceleration of e-commerce across all demographics.

All physical retailers need to have a solid digital strategy in place or they won’t survive. Well, all except Primark, but they’ve always marched to the beat of their own drum.

Ultimately, though, it isn’t about physical vs digital; the customer is the channel. Too often over the course of the past 12 months, the conversation has been focused on e-tailers thriving whilst their high street rivals struggled.

When in fact retail is everywhere. Customer service has never been more important. In that respect, online-only works for some, bricks and mortar for some and a mixture of both for many others.

Stores still have a vital role to play in terms of connecting with customers one on one.

Retailers will therefore invest in various technologies that deliver personalised customer experiences and make shopping as convenient as possible. A good example of the latter being the recently launched Amazon Fresh stores in London.

In the medium term, contactless shopping solutions will be in demand – ordering, paying, delivery etc. This will reassure many people when variants etc. continue to pose a threat.

There will also be significant investment in omnichannel and supply chains, with stores being used to support online sales.”