“I wish things would get back to normal, back to how they were before COVID-19.”
If you’re like me, thoughts like this pop into your head daily. It’s natural with any kind of unexpected and disruptive change. Retailers are undoubtedly having those thoughts, too. But the industry as a whole needs to step back and consider whether their pre-COVID strategies and approaches are really worth returning to.
Before COVID-19 hit, many retailers were still struggling with legacy infrastructures and disjointed processes, inhibiting them from responding swiftly to new consumer behaviors and competitive forces. That’s why Elizabeth Elliott of Columbus Consulting believes that retailers shouldn’t rush to return to the status-quo. Instead, they should strive for continuous transformation, and adopt new ways to communicate with shoppers — and their teams.
“Most of us through this pandemic have pulled together in society and are doing our part in the spirit of ‘we’re all in this together,’” Elliott said during this week’s Retail Remix episode. “Customers want to know: ‘What part did my favorite brands do and what are they continuing to do?’”
Check out the full episode to hear:
- The “seven edicts of transformation”;
- How retailers can pivot the way they engage and empower employees internally; and
- The new rules of customer communication, transparency and value creation.
