by Steff ParkerIt’s been nearly three long months since retail shut up shop, but there’s light at the end with the Government announcing that non-essential retail can now re-open. But, with lockdown restrictions still a big part of our everyday life, will shoppers return to the stores or give them a wide berth?
We’ve surveyed would-be shoppers from Chesterfield to understand if and when they’ll return to the shops, and what they’re concerns are when they do.
This is not business as usual. The Government recently issued a raft of guidelines for retailers to follow to avoid the transmission of the virus. The impact of these on the shopping experience is likely to be considerable. Before we jump into the survey results, here’s a quick round-up of the announced changes at some of the UK’s largest stores.
Yes . . . and no! While 88% of people surveyed say they plan to return to High Street shops, it may be more of a trickle than a stampede. Of the respondents, 43% said they plan to shop less than they did pre-COVID-19, while 45% anticipate they will shop the same and 8% say they plan to shop more.
So while there is some hope for the High Street, it’s a different picture for shopping centres with 51% of people planning to visit indoor shopping centres less than they did before and 47% planning to visit retail parks less than pre-lockdown.
It’s a mixed bag. What’s interesting to see is that while lots of people plan to avoid indoor retail parks and centres, 11% of those surveyed said they would be shopping more in outdoor centres or High Streets. It’s no surprise then that 34% of people surveyed plan to shop online more than they did pre-lockdown.
Unsurprisingly, people want to feel safe. Whether they walk tentatively into the stores or sprint through the gates on June 15th, shoppers want to see social distancing measures taken seriously. 55% of surveyed shoppers want to see social distancing measures in place while 19% feel that limiting the shopper numbers is the most important factor to getting them back through the doors.
What’s clear is that the people of Chesterfield aren’t sold on retail re-opening. Though 19% of people surveyed feel that shopper numbers should be limited, 65% of people flagged that long queues are their biggest barrier to shopping at all. Also, it’s worth noting that entertainment, clothing and electrical stores barely featured when we asked people what type of shops they had missed the most. Restaurants and cafes were top with 38% while for 36% of the respondents it was the salon they’d missed the most.
The reality is that there’s still a long way to go before retail resembles anything like its pre-COVID state. With 50% of people in Chesterfield admitting to being nervous to shop, there’s a lot that needs to be done to encourage shoppers back through the doors.
