Shop till you drop
[12 June 2020] From today, the retail landscape in Northern Ireland will start to reopen, following Monday’s announcement from Economy Minister, Diane Dodds. This is a huge boost to retailers in NI, many of whom have been desperate to reopen to ensure their survival, however there will undoubtedly be further covid-casualties on the high street, with Warehouse, Oasis, Cath Kidston and Monsoon/Accessorize all calling in administrators and announcing closures. Debenhams is reopening stores in NI and GB, however ROI stores are closing permanently.
If the queues at IKEA are anything to go by, people are desperate to get back out into physical retail environments and start spending again. Staying in became the new going out and we got very bored very quickly. Retailers and customers are adapting quickly to the rules of social distancing, queueing for shop entry and changes to normal engagements. Checkouts are now behind screens to enhance safety, and cashless payments are preferred.
Selfridges are opening its branches in GB from 15th June, and the upmarket retailer is aiming to offer customers who come to stores an uplifting experience, with DJs to entertain shoppers queueing for entry and personal after-hours shopping. The personal touch, and creating new experiences for shoppers will be key, as will ease of access. We looked at the future of shopping a few weeks ago, and how technology and OOH might combine.
Shopping centres reopen
In NI, shopping centres got the green light to reopen late on Thursday [11th June], so footfall is likely to build steadily throughout the weekend and into next week, as many people long for an instore shopping experience. The reopening of larger retailers and high street stores is welcomed from an OOH point of view, expanding the viewability of Out of Home touchpoints in different environments. Ensuring brands are top of mind will be the key to success as we begin the journey of to our new normal. OOH can be a powerful tool for retailers to reach audiences as we begin to return to the pleasures of shopping.
How social distancing will be achieved within the malls is likely going to take some time to really embed in, so the next few weeks is a huge opportunity for retail environments, both malls and individual stores, to reassure the public that safety of staff and shoppers is at the forefront of everyone’s mind. Out of Home is extremely strong for proximity campaigns, ensuring audiences are aware of the precautions which are in place and any amendments to opening hours.
Footfall at retail parks was less affected than high streets throughout lockdown, as many have supermarkets and essential retailers within them. As the high streets start to reopen for non-essential shops, it’s likely out-of-town locations will continue to be extremely popular. These multi-purpose centres offer strong audience targeting due to the high volume of people in a relatively small area, and a large mix of demographics.
While the number of shoppers will further boost the appeal of OOH to brands, increasing numbers of people travelling to work in the newly reopened shops will also increase drastically from the beginning of next week.
