As Australia slowly moves toward our new normal of retail it’s worthwhile to look at the way forward to;

1. Attract customers
2. Maintain customers
3. Secure much needed sales
4. Ensure REPEAT business
5. Create a great environment for your staff

A new challenge for everyone in retail is providing a safe environment where customers feel safe and want have the confidence to return and spend time.

As we know Covid-19 is spread through contact, photo kiosks need some special attention.

Here are a few photo retail specific considerations.

• Move Photo Kiosks so there is clear space between them, remember 1.5m and 4 m2 per person
• Consider turning every 2^nd kiosk off for the short term – shows consumers you are thinking of them and their safety
• Provide Alcohol wipes and hand sanitiser next to each kiosk
• Encourage your staff to continuously use the wipes or alcohol based cleaner between customers on the photo kiosks and surrounding surfaces
• Thoroughly clean your store every morning – vacuum, wipe down all touch points and use air freshener…and again at lunchtime each day. We know everyone keeps their stores clean but now they need to be sparkling
• Provide Hand Sanitiser at the photo kiosks and at main entrance
• Use good visual queues to remind people to keep 1.5m

Here’s some guidelines from the National Retailers Association , Full store here

10 Key Actions that retailers and shopping centres should take are:

*Key actions will be different at each shopping centre and retailer, noting that each shopping centre, retailer (e.g. café versus clothing versus pharmacy) and retail premises is different, including issues such as location, tenancy mix, operating hours, size, customer visits, open-air / enclosed spaces, customer access points, car-parks, loading docks and co-location with public transport facilities.

1. Making alcohol-based hand sanitiser at key locations such as store entrances, building entrances, customer service desks and food courts,
2. Increasing frequent cleaning and disinfecting of regularly used objects and hard surfaces (e.g. payment registers, ETFPOS machines, hand-rails, bathroom door handles, shelves, shopping trolleys, counters and benches, food-court tables, staff-rooms) and other key hygiene measures (e.g. waste disposal).
3. Facilitating and encouraging social distancing guidelines in accordance with Government or public health authority directions, which is currently a distance of 1.5m. Actions could include signage ‘reminders’, one-way queueing, and ground markings (e.g. stickers or tape) for queueing.
4. Ensuring public gathering limits in accordance with Government direction are adhered to, which is currently no more than 1 person per 4m2 in stores (inclusive of staff), can be maintained. Actions could include regulating access points, monitoring customer counts at relevant entrances, and displaying signage.
5. Promoting contactless transactions such as ‘tap and go’ instead of cash for payments, facilitating distancing at counters and benches, and staff wearing disposable gloves when they are handling objects and money.
6. Monitoring and encouraging customer adherence to relevant public health guidelines by security guards and other personnel, which may also include Police visits to shopping centres.
7. Continuing to focus on the community’s access to essential services such as supermarkets, pharmacies and health and medical facilities, especially for vulnerable people.
8. Daily check-ins with employees on their well-being, ensuring employees and contractors are properly trained and have access to relevant information and personal protective equipment (PPE). These check-ins will include monitoring customer behaviour to ensure retail workers are being treated with respect – abusive and violent behaviour towards retail workers will not be tolerated.
9. Fostering open and frequent communication between shopping centre management and retailers, including to alert each party to any Government or public health authority directive, to assist authorities when required, and continue to release information and guidance to employees and customers about good hygiene advice.
10. Maintaining relevant essential safety measures such as air-handling systems, exit doors, emergency power supply, smoke alarms, sprinkler systems and fire-isolated stairs.

The above issues could be summarised in a COVID-19 Recovery Safety Plan, which could be made available to employees, contractors and the community, and which could be reviewed and amended regularly as restrictions ease and in response to any Government or public health authority directive.

We wish you a safe and happy return to trade.