What to consider when opening a pop-up shop after the shutdown

What your customers will expect

• Allow payment by card as some customers might be reluctant to use/receive cash. Swiss banks have recently increased the limit for contactless payments from CHF 40 to 80. If you don’t have an existing card terminal, you might want to consider using Twint or SumUp.
• Provide your sales associates face masks to wear during store opening hours. Make sure to have enough of stock.
• Have hand sanitiser available at your customers disposal. Place it near the entrance.
• Place Plexiglas panels at checkout points to protect customers and staff. You can order them here

What measures to take regarding your shop space

• Limit the number of customers in your shop (1 person per 10 m2 shop space). You can use technological solutions (e.g. Traffic light system) or simply manual counting. Make sure to inform your customers with a poster on the door.
• Design your shop space to allow more room between shelves to comply with current safety guidelines (2m distance)
• Define areas to keep customer queues outside the shop organised.
• Add floor stickers to help customers comply with the distancing rules.

Other things to consider

• Some businesses add a surcharge for implementing these measures. If you decide to do so as well, make sure to explain to customers why you’re asking for it, e.g. with a poster next to the checkout counter.
• Allow customers to visit your shop on-appointment. Tools like Calendly enable your customers to book time slots in your calendar.
• Using online channels is part of every good retail strategy. If you haven’t done so in the past, consider an online shop and offer delivery services to also cater to customers that can’t come to your shop.

Ideas for your next pop-up shop post-COVID19

COVID-19 and the imposed (partial) lockdowns have made consumers shift their priorities. Demand in certain products and services have declined while others have skyrocketed. When creating your next pop-up you might want to take into consideration the following consumer behaviour shifts:

• Trying new products and services: Every second consumer is open to try new products and services.
• Travel: Over 80% of consumers will not (be able to) travel. Why not make a holiday-themed pop-up and create an urban oasis for your customers?
• Health & Fitness: COVID-19 made consumers aware how important a good immune system and healthy lifestyle is. Every second consumer expects to keep these new habits.
• Hobbies (music, reading, art, gardening etc.): Consumers spend more time on their hobbies and every third consumer is open to try out new ones.
• Entertainment: Home office and closed shops and restaurants lead to consumers spending more time at home consuming news and entertainment offers.
• Gourmet products: While purchases of luxury goods might be postponed by some, consumers still allow themselves a little luxury in form of gourmet products.

Resources:

• State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, “Protection concept”
• Nielsen, “Der Einfluss von COVID-19 auf den Schweizer Detailhandel”
• GlobalWebIndex “COVID-19 - Global consumer impacts“ (whole study)