Introduction
The augment of the current exogenous crisis looming in the entire retail economy has been accompanied by a variety of unfavorable developments. With the continuous shifts in consumer needs and provincial regulations; the situation of the retail industry in India is predicted to be extremely volatile. In fact, it’s quite pertinent to state that addressing the current challenges has become more analogous to fighting a war with an indefinite end date.
In the preparation to combat COVID-19, retailers are continuously seen adapting to different measures and strategies for their survival in the business. Greater thrust is aimed at creating preventive measures for controlling the virus spread amongst consumers and retailers are making enormous efforts to channelize their services for maintaining covid free status of their physical stores, warehouses, and online delivery system. This has become the most critical survival strategy that can make or break their brand reputation during the crisis.
New tools and processes are being explored to manage logistics for addressing safety issues for employees and consumers. From simple measures like maintaining social distancing through markings in the stores, creating restricted entry zones and sanitization of delivery boys; to embracing tech tools for digital queues and virtual trial rooms; several other steps are being rolled out by retail firms – big and small, global as well as local.
Precautions that Indian Retailers are taking to reduce the spread
Post the first phase of lockdown, the Indian government allowed only delivery of essential goods including food, pharmacy and related medical equipment through few e-commerce platforms. As a resultant effect, millions of e-retailer apps were seen to be downloaded by consumers of all demographics. E-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, Big Basket, Grofers and other app based online delivery retail companies were agile enough to create appropriate measures for controlling the virus spread that furthermore built on to their consumers trust. These e-retailers meticulously planned many preventive measures that focused primarily towards their delivery system and teams.
As per the recent study conducted by Knowledgetics Research, 83.2% of delivery boys wore masks at all times during the delivery process, 71.5% wore gloves and 69.1% sanitized their hands before and after the delivery of the product. Around 40% of the delivery boys claimed to use face shields during their pick and drop process.
Moreover, physical retail chains were also seen providing extensive training to their employees on various safety measures. Some of them included how to place sanitizer bottles at strategic locations throughout the store, monitoring handwashing habits of employees, identifying symptomatic customers, and then following the required protocols. All such changes were being thrust upon to bring in a major change to imbibe new safety habits among retail staff.
In totality, there seems to a big shift of focus that is seen rising amongst big as well as smaller retailers. E-commerce players, as well as physical store retailers (including big and small kinara stores), are all trying to still manage to sail through the crisis by taking innumerable precautionary steps to save their consumers as well as employees.
Some of the common preventive measures that were enforced by them on an immediate basis
1.Temperature Trackers and Well Sanitization Process:
In physical stores of Reliance Fresh, Metro Cash & Carry, and More, body temperature screening of customers was made mandatory before allowing them entry into stores. Walmart Stores were even equipped with contactless thermometers for conducting temperature checks.
Firms like Amazon and Flipkart ensured that delivery associates wash their hands frequently by using alcohol-based hand sanitizers. There was a strict vigil on them for cleaning the frequently touched surfaces of vehicles and delivery devices during the start and end of their routes. Proper Sanitization booths were set-up at order pick-up point to sanitize the teams and the delivery packets.
2. Continuous Training and associated reward mechanism:
Delivery associates were imparted training on various safety measures that needed to be taken while on-duty. The food delivery company Swiggy rolled out the concept of safety badges as rewards to those who comply with the highest standards of hygiene. Practices such as temperature control, using masks, sanitization after every 4 hours, and safe packaging were constantly being imbibed into their habits.
3. Contactless crowd management plan:
With marked lines for maintaining social distancing, Walmart India operating in cash & carry format allowed only one person per membership card as a part of their crowd management plan. The floors were marked with yellow stripes. Boxes were kept to designate enough space for each member to maintain safe distance from each other for social distancing the consumers.
Future Group has put marks near the billing counters of its Bigbazar and Easyday stores so that people maintain the mandatory distance of three feet. Aiming towards a contactless crowd management strategy, Metro Cash & Carry India has introduced a token system to avoid large gatherings at stores. Another retail chain, D-Mart had been seen using colored coupons in their stores for their customers waiting outside in the open area and then allowing entry of a particular color at a time.
4. Medical Policy and Covid-19 insurance:
Flipkart ensured that all delivery executives were covered with both life and medical insurances. A new insurance protection and incentive policy for supply chain partners, including kiranas and freelance delivery executives were announced by Flipkart during this crisis. E-commerce giant, Amazon too has extended a two-week paid leave to associates working directly or through staffing agencies for them. The online grocery supermarket BigBasket has bought covid-19 insurance policies for all its frontline workforce and employees.
Zomato and Swiggy have kept the urgency in mind and tied up with insurers to create Covid-19 Medical policies for their employees. Zomato in partnership with ICICI Lombard General Insurance Co. Ltd had covered all their employees under the COVID-19 medical plan. For their delivery partner Insurance Plan, they have designed accidental and medical insurance in partnership with Acko General Insurance Ltd. Swiggy has launched comprehensive insurance plans to cover hospitalization expenses for both employees and their family members during Covid.
Retailers across India are not leaving any stone unturned to combat the Covid19 crisis by taking appropriate preventive measures. However, there is another noticeable shift that is seen evolving in the retail sector.
Plans and strategies are being built towards the adaptation and use of new technology tools. Retailers are all set to embrace digital technologies to bridge physical distances soon as learning from the Covid crisis.
