Bold Moves | Strategy in Perspective The Corona Diaries: Which Retailers will Sink and Which will Swim ? Neiman Marcus’ bankruptcy filing wasn’t totally unexpected given the department store retailer has been struggling for nearly a decade. The COVID pandemic has completely altered the customer journey for the foreseeable future. Department stores will not be the only victims to what’s continuously referred to as “these unprecedented times” – the new mantra. Russ Allison Loar Russ Allison Loar Since Target sells groceries and medicine, they’ve been able to get around the “essential” rule, which means some went shopping in other “non-essential” departments. The fact is, the COVID pandemic has completely altered the customer journey for the foreseeable future and businesses that were once “high touch” are now “no touch.” Retailers have no choice but to sink or swim – but none will manage to float for long. Digital is the channel of choice for consumers who either can’t or won’t shop in a physical store. Online retail has made brick and mortar increasingly irrelevant, something it was already well on its way to becoming. Online retail has made brick and mortar increasingly irrelevant, something it was already well on its way to becoming. One has to wonder just how many of the boarded storefronts will actually reopen. Retailers are reconsidering their strategy — as they should be. Some businesses have found ways around the “essential” mandate: GNC, Joann, and Peet’s, which delivered coffee from the front door. Others have gotten creative in finding ways to stay open despite mandates that only “essential” businesses are permitted to do so. To date, no one has been able to explain why nutritional supplement brand GNC or crafting retailer Joanne have been able to skirt past the “essentials” rule, but maybe the former sees themselves as “medicine” and the latter as a destination for people crafting face-masks. Apparently Peet’s considers its coffee “essential” and at one location, a table was set up at the front door where orders could be picked up. I guess there are some people in the world who still don’t know how to brew their own coffee. Macys has scrambled to come up with COVID-relevant messaging, but this one for pajamas is downright depressing. Macys hastily revamped their website with more relevant categories built around… being at home. “Relax, restore, and really enjoy that me time” is meant to get you to shop for spa beauty products, while “Keep making moves and streaming those classes” is meant to compel you to buy workout gear. Another just sounded like a death sentence: “Looks you’re living in right now.” At this point, does anybody bother changing out of the workout clothes they’re already wearing most of the day? Because cabin fever is now officially rampant, Target has been benefitting from people desperate for someplace to go. The brand gets to sidestep the “essentials” mandate because they do offer essentials like food and pharmacy goods — but what’s to stop people from picking up some new clothes or home décor? The state of Vermont put the kabash on that and has now mandated that Walmart and Target rope off any “nonessential” areas such as clothing and electronics. Related posts:Lincoln MKX Finds Success with McConnaughey's Lonely CommercialsClient Showcase: b on brand Completes Three New Hotels for Lotte L7Designing the Customer Experience: Book Offers Retail Strategy for the Omnichannel AgeThe facebook IPO: Did We Over-Estimate the Brand's Relevance? Leave a Reply Click here to cancel reply. You must be logged in to post a comment.