It’s amazing what a difference a year can make. In early March 2020, the idea of staying two metres apart from everyone you encountered would have seemed bizarre. Now, for many of us, it has become second nature.
With millions already vaccinated, there is finally hope that the end of the pandemic may be in sight. But our desire to keep our distance could last much longer:
- 88% of UK adults are following social distancing guidelines whenever they are out in public.
- 80% of people plan to avoid large crowds after the pandemic.
- 75% of people plan to continue wearing masks.
Read our latest report, ‘The Impatient Nation’ here:
Customers care about social distancing
These lingering safety concerns will have a huge effect on consumer behaviour in the coming years. On top of this, recent news that supermarkets are major transmission hotspots will have made shoppers even more cautious.
With this in mind, we decided to take an in-depth look at the pandemic’s effect on customer behaviour. Our survey found that safety will be a priority for a long time to come:
- 18% of shoppers say that a lack of social distancing in shops is their biggest frustration.
- 39% of shoppers would leave a store that wasn’t enforcing distancing measures.
- 10% would never return to that store again.
The message here is clear: you can’t afford to ignore social distancing. With highstreet footfall down 78%, and thousands of people discovering online shopping for the first time, you have to make the most of every customer. In this climate, permanently losing 10% of shoppers due to a lack of social distancing would be a disaster.
Future-proof your business
Retailers who care for their customers and colleagues will stand the test of time. Customers who perceive safety measures will reward you with their loyalty; 65% of consumers say that they will favour brands who took care of them during the pandemic.
Get in touch for more tips on staying safe with VoCoVo
We’re here to help
Keeping customers apart can be challenging, especially at busy times with limited staff. Our products make social distancing easy so you can focus on your work:
- Headsets enable colleagues to communicate clearly from a distance. Unlike walkie talkies, our technology allows for natural-feeling two way conversation.
- Colleagues can use headsets to ask for information or check stock levels without having to physically approach one another.
- Headsets allow you to train colleagues from a distance. You can offer advice and set personalised reminders to keep newer colleagues on track.
- Colleagues can authorise self-checkout purchases with a simple voice command. This allows you to streamline the checkout process while keeping a safe distance.
- Our message casting feature allows you to send important updates to all colleagues without having to gather everyone for a team meeting.
- Call Points allow customers to ask for help without finding a member of staff. You can answer the query remotely and, if more information is required, you can transfer the customer to the relevant colleague.