Inside Outdoor Spring 2020 Issue

deliveries might be late anyway. This will give you time to move through more spring merchandise. For stores with open-to-buy (OTB) for fresh goods, you will be in the driver’s seat. There will be merchandise available, and most likely at deep discounts, making reorders a good opportunity buy. Looking Forward As you begin to look toward fall, make sure your OTB is in line with current revised sales projections. You may need to adjust your percentage buys for initial or preseason buys, fill ins, reorders and opportunistic buys. Remember, the old model is dead for now: new game, new rules. Most retailers keep a “wish list” of vendors they would like to carry but have not been able to for competitive reasons. With several retail closures on the horizon, the vendors on your list might be much more open to selling to stores that have survived. Will your team be the same upon reopening? New team members might need to be trained on virtual selling, as well as in-store selling. Since Pay- roll Protection Program (PPP) funds cover about two months of payroll ex- penses, now might be the perfect time to consider an incentive-based selling payroll system. Know Your Customer Customer behavior is likely to be changed forever. This will become even more evident in the months fol- lowing re-opening. Consider what you need to do to alleviate any potential customer concerns. What will be your procedure for cleaning items that have been tried on? What will you do if so- cial distancing is still the norm? What is the process for sanitizing fitting rooms, bathrooms and other areas? Consider re-evaluating product dis- play and placement on the floor. Continue to offer special services to customers that they may have gotten accustomed to during the pandemic. These include curbside pickup, pre- scheduled appointments, off-hours shopping, buy online pick-up in store and buy online return in store (BOPIS/ BORIS) policies, and live streaming of events. Whatever changes you make, be sure that your customers, as well as your staff, are aware of them. What we have all learned through this pandemic, if there was ever any doubt, is that online selling has unde- niably sealed its rightful place in retail. Develop a marketing plan that reflects your online presence, as well as the in-store feeling. Remember, your website home page is your virtual store window. Make certain it looks that way. Many online shoppers won’t go any further than the front page of your website if they don’t get a good feeling, just like shoppers often times walk past a store whose windows don’t entice them to enter. Stay strong and stay positive. Busi- ness most likely won’t be the same as it once was. Just keep in mind that times of crisis create opportunities. With good planning and execution, you will be able to capitalize on them. m Ritchie Sayner is with Advanced Retail Strategies LLC, an affiliate of Management One. Sayner’s book, “Retail Revelations: Strategies for Improving Sales, Margins and Turn- over” (2nd Ed.) is available on Ama- zon. Contact him at advancedreailstrat egies.com. In-Season Percent who say they expect retailers to take the following steps to help manage the situation U.S. U.K. Gen Z Millenn. Gen X Boomers Having social distancing measures in place in-store 56% 67% 43% 51% 67% 69% Dedicated shopping hours/delivery slots for key workers, elderly, vulnerable groups 53% 62% 50% 49% 58% 62% Ensuring essentials items are prioritized in terms of supply and delivery 48% 54% 40% 49% 54% 49% Offering free delivery 49% 43% 36% 44% 58% 47% Limiting amount of items a customer can buy 46% 59% 36% 43% 53% 60% Discounts for key workers (e.g. health workers) 37% 45% 31% 44% 39% 34% Communicate business changes effectively to customers 37% 37% 28% 38% 40% 38% Offering customers longer timeframe for refunds 27% 40% 24% 27% 32% 34% Other 6% 4% 5% 5% 6% 5% None of the above 6% 5% 5% 4% 6% 10% Source: Global Web Index; consumers surveyed April 2-6 Inside Outdoor | SPRING 2020 18