How to make customers feel safe in your shop

With many retailers back open already in the UK, and more to open their shops soon, some semblance of normality is starting to creep into our lives again. That being said, there are many guidelines and rules governing the way bricks and mortar shops can interact with their customers and business as usual won’t be a thing for some time yet. We’ve already shared the Government’s guidelines on making your shop a Covid Secure environment, but how can you ensure your customers feel safe? Here are a few of our top tips:

Visibility

Customers want to see with their own eyes that you are doing everything you can to keep them safe. Make sure you have plenty of signage and visible protection measures in place. It is optional for staff to wear face coverings and PPE, but many customers appreciate seeing these measures being taken.

Information

We’ve all heard the word “unprecedented” a million times over during the pandemic, but this is for good reason. No one, customers and shop owners included, has lived through a pandemic of this scale, so naturally, there’s still a lot of uncertainty in the air. Make sure your customers know what you’re doing to keep them safe and what they can do to follow your guidelines when in store.

Keep your team members well informed of the measures you are taking and the guidance you have put in place. Your team will be customers’ first port of call for any questions or concerns they might have, so having staff that can provide informative and reassuring answers is key.

Cleaning

Keeping your shop space clean is part of the Government guidance anyway but doing this regularly and in plain sight for customers will show them that you are taking the necessary steps to keeping them safe. Make sure you are regularly wiping down touchpoints like counters, baskets and card machines using an anti-viral disinfectant spray. Along the same lines, consider offering hand sanitiser or hand washing points within your shop for customer and staff use.

Crowd control

Again, crowd control sits in the Government’s guidelines, but it’s key to keeping your customers feeling safe and relaxed. Right now, a busy store simply isn’t appealing to customers, so keep your footfall to a minimum (counterintuitive though that might seem). Ensure there is plenty of space for customers to move freely around the shop and still keep a social distance.

For those customers who are more wary, consider either having extended opening hours or an appointment-only service which will allow them to browse without coming into contact with other customers.

Have you reopened your shop yet, and what have you been doing to help your customers feel safe? Email us or share your stories on social media to let us know!

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