The long weeks of lockdown across Europe greatly impacted many sectors. Retail is no exception to this rule.
The health crisis revealed the importance of certain professions and local businesses, the clear winners of lockdown. In particular, the supermarkets which belong to large corporations. Indeed, local artisanal shops knew how to respond and came out strong on the other side. But what about the shopping centres which focus on retailtainment, a trend which sets entertainment at the centre of the customer experience and leads to redesigning the sales outlet? How have they adapted for their reopening and how can the model be reinvented in the coming months?
Local came out on top during the health crisis
With the Covid-19 health crisis, the e-commerce sector experienced an unprecedented evolution with +61% for pick-up services and almost double the sales with a nearly 90% rise in home delivery services. Nevertheless, consumers are looking for ways to consume more meaningfully and responsibly while caring for the planet, themselves and for others. In a study carried out by Ifop for BNP Paribas Real Estate, we can see that local businesses recorded high numbers of customers during the lockdown; 35% of those surveyed even plan to increase footfall after the crisis.
Those who have succeeded in merging the customer experience, which can only be done from the physical and digital point of sale, will come out on top in this crisis. Everything rides on being where the consumers are, and supporting them in their everyday lives
