With UK retail stores to reopen in just a couple of short weeks on June 15th, many businesses are scrambling to prepare for a post-lockdown world – a world in which customers are going to require guidance and support to feel comfortable and keep safe.
There are going to be two key factors all retail businesses are going to have to take into serious consideration in the coming months – social distancing and hygiene.
In the case of the former, many ideas have already been implemented by the major supermarkets, such as traffic light systems and non-slip floor stickers directing customer traffic and giving them visual representations of how far 2 metres actually is.
We’ve already covered this subject in detail, of course, but in the case of hygiene, things are a little trickier because, unless you do something proactive, it’s left to the individual.
That’s why we feel the next logical step for retail businesses opening up again in the next couple of weeks is to not only invest in infrastructure to help people keep their distance from one another but to keep their hands clean too.
Of course, installing washing basins at every aisle wouldn’t be practical, but one elegant and cost-effective option is a freestanding sanitiser station that we have just launched.
What is a freestanding sanitiser station?
Quite simply, it’s a small and flexible aluminium stand that has two holders for hand sanitiser. It can be easily customised according to what you think will work best for your business; there is an optional A4 interchangeable message board that can be used to encourage customers to use the facilities and, if you wished to have disposable gloves or masks available, you could elect to have a shelf added to your stand.
It’s a smart and elegant solution to something that will become a genuine problem in the coming months if we don’t address it head-on. Please note, however, that sanitiser and PPE are not included with the stand.
How can it help my business?
The obvious benefit is that it will keep your business and its employees clean and safe from the spread of COVID-19. On a less direct note, however, customers are bound to be a little skittish emerging from weeks of lockdown back into the retail space so they need every bit of reassurance they can get that they are not putting themselves at risk by leaving the home and choosing to shop at your establishment.
Will it stand out?
There needs to be a middle ground here between a stand that is visible and yet doesn’t seem imposing or divert customer attention away from their shopping experience. The stand can, ultimately, be as bold and as obvious as you want it to be.
As much as how colourful or large the stand is, where it’s actually placed will have a major impact. We’d recommend placing one at the end of every aisle and, of course, at the entrance to your store.
There are going to be a few incredibly difficult months ahead for all of us, not least retail businesses that will be struggling to pick up where they left off in March and engender a great degree of trust from the general public.
Hand sanitiser stands and stations are just one of the many ways we can help these businesses to reintegrate themselves back into society and embrace the new normal we will all be living through for at least the remainder of 2020.
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