Page 34 - July 2020

RLI INDUSTRY INSIGHT

Seize the moment

The Covid-19 pandemic is unarguably a terrible, globally
disruptive event, putting lives and economies at risk around
the world. But it is a challenge to be faced and overcome, in
everyday life and in business. Here, Peter Ballard, Co-Founder
of Foolproof, a Zensar company takes a look to see if companies
are using Covid-19 as an excuse in difficult times.

ews last month that Go Outdoors, the camping It’s not just the small local independents that have risen to
and outdoor pursuit’s retailer had been bought the challenge, bigger brands have also been figuring out how
out of administration by owner JD Sports in a to protect their trade through the challenges of lockdown:
Ncontroversial pre-pack deal was the latest in B&Q was an early adapter, creating a Covid-19-secure
a string of UK retailers to lay their woes firmly at the feet order ahead, click and collect from the car park service.
of lockdown. But is Covid-19 an all too easy scapegoat for The good will generated with DIY enthusiasts and trades
boards to blame? people will surely translate into increased loyalty in the post
I would argue the real reason for the demise of Go coronavirus recovery period.
Outdoors, like a long line of retailers, was a chronic failure to Deliveroo responded quickly to a reduction in demand
modernise a predominantly store based model to a multi- for prepared meal delivery and pivoted its business model
channel experience. Go Outdoors had struggled to reach 10 to include delivery of grocery essentials, keeping the brand
per cent of sales via its online channels prior to lockdown, visible and performing an essential service for customers
so when stores were forced to close, it was woefully ill- stuck at home.
prepared to weather the storm. Waitrose reacted to increased demand and bottlenecks
in home deliveries by creating a range of essential items
IS COVID-19 A CATALYST? that could be ordered on their Rapid same day delivery
Now more than ever, retailers need to innovate their service, without having to go through the normal online
current offering. It is a time for understanding the changing shopping process.
world of your consumer, for some creative thinking about
addressing the pain points for both customers and staff. THE RULES OF BUSINESS ARE BEING
This is a time for exploring new supply chain logistics, new REWRITTEN, NOW IS THE TIME TO EMBRACE
distribution channels, and a final chance to bring your digital DIGITAL
channels up to scratch. As lockdown eases, more businesses are responding
Covid-19 has been a shot in the arm for e-commerce, positively and pro-actively to the challenges presented by
with businesses finding new ways to continue trading using Covid-19, not just in the retail sector but across the leisure
digital and touchless technologies. and entertainment sector too.
Some changes were forced on retailers through necessity, Drive-in and outdoor cinemas are popping up all over the
such as longer returns policies to cope with unpredictable UK, stepping in where regular cinemas are still working out
delivery times. Contactless payment has become the default how and when they can open. This is a great example of how
as cash became almost obsolete overnight. to turn a challenge into an opportunity. But why didn’t the
Other changes are the result of innovative thinking and big cinema chains see that opportunity first?
seeking ways to serve customers better: farm shops starting This is the exciting thing about this dynamic time; the
vegetable box deliveries have seen trade soar like never rules of business are being rewritten. Consumers are finding
before, and local restaurants were among the quickest to new ways to access the products and services they need,
embrace home delivery. there are more first-time consumers online than any time
in the last ten years, and more companies are rising to the
challenge of meeting these changing behaviours.
But there’s still work to be done. To remain competitive,
businesses need to ruthlessly pursue the frictionless purchase
experience, despite the challenges of lockdown and new
social distancing measures in store:
Walk through the experience of dealing with your
1business through the eyes of your customer. Better still
get real customer feedback on what it feels like interacting
with your business at every touch point.
Identify each pain point in the process, even those that
2happen before and after purchasing from you, and think
creatively about how you could turn that into an opportunity
to delight your customer,
Try not to let the constraints and practicalities of today
3restrict what you might be able to do differently tomorrow.

The most resilient retailers are embracing change and
learning things now that will create success in the future. And
those who don’t will just end up blaming coronavirus, or the
next scapegoat, for their troubles.

34 RETAIL & LEISURE INTERNATIONAL JULY 2020