How shopping will change
SHoPAHoliCS can rejoice that non-essential stores reopen their doors today, at least up to a point.
Retailers, many of which struggled before the pandemic, will not spring magically into life with the painfully slow lifting of the lockdown. But coronavirus will be a catalyst for deeper changes to city centres and the retail industry.
To the horror of penny-pinchers and puritans, before the virus, shopping was one of our favourite pastimes – retail therapy was part of the national lexicon.
During lockdown, however, physical shopping has consisted of a fraught trip to the supermarket, queuing up outside with the other masked and gloved customers for an anxious tour of the aisles. For non-food bricks and mortar outlets, the idea of shopping as an enjoyable leisure activity postCovid is something of a stretch.
Where once people might have mooched happily round a town centre or mall, they are faced with an obstacle course. How will they get there? What will they do for refreshments? Will they be able to go to the loo? not exactly relaxing.
Then there is the question of how much, and how permanently, consumption habits have changed. Many of us have become enforced savers in lockdown, but deprived of the opportunity to shop, have rather liked seeing a fatter bank balance.
even the most inveterate shoppers – and i count myself as one – have reflected on whether we need or want to return to our free- spending ways. That’s assuming we can afford to. The prospect of a large leap in unemployment across the board does not bode well for retail, particularly in certain towns and cities, such as Crawley, luton or Derby, all of which are dependent on aerospace for local employment, or are tourist honeypots hit by quarantine.
Other changes flowing from the pandemic will affect what we buy. if more of us work from home more of the time, we will buy fewer smart office clothes, though there might be demand for walking gear and cycling kit.
Before Covid, smart retailers had grasped that in order to survive in the face of online competition, they needed to offer an experience to tempt customers.
That is even more challenging now with social distancing and hygiene measures and the barrier of customer fear to surmount.
This may be easier at the luxury end of the market. At Bicester Village, for instance, technology will be used to ensure customers don’t have to queue outside boutiques and all the stops will be pulled out to make sure people feel safe.
Many fashion chains have already gone to the wall and there will be more casualties. Stock valuation will be a huge issue – an enormous pile of unsold garments must be offloaded and this will blow black holes in accounts. Chains such as M&S are looking to speed up plans to shut stores that no longer work for them.
on the plus side, i predict we will become more discerning shoppers and the retailers which cater to that will do well.
Survey evidence suggests the public want to support independent shops with a distinctive offer, whether bricks and mortar, online or a mix of both. Some of us have discovered farm shops and small grocery sellers, and other lockdown-friendly operators such as specialist posh pyjama companies have done a roaring trade.
in the longer term, city centres may look very different with fewer shops and offices and more housing. We don’t yet know how our lives will change after the virus, but inventive retailers will find ways to create new objects of desire and tempt us to buy.