The coronavirus pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on just about every industry, but the retail sector cannot ignore the permanent mark left by COVID-19. While there has been a substantial amount of support to businesses from the government, including the furlough scheme also known as job retention schemes in other parts of the globe, many retailers are left wondering, “how do I keep my store open post-lockdown?”

It’s a legitimate concern, as business leaders all over the world continue to stare uncertainty in the face. Here, we’ll walk you through different support that is available to businesses to keep their doors open even after the pandemic, and different strategies that can help strengthen your business.

Take Advantage of the Support Available to You

Throughout lockdown and until October 2020, the UK government made the furlough scheme available to businesses who are not able to keep their employees on due to their income suffering as a result of coronavirus.

However, post-lockdown, you are not without support. The government has introduced additional schemes to businesses who might still be impacted even with the slightly looser restrictions or economic impact wondering how to keep their staff on after furlough. If your business needs support, it is recommended that you take what is available. This can help ease the burden and help to keep your doors open until the economy begins to recover.

Follow Government Advice

To ensure that your business does not get closed down, it’s vital that you follow government advice around COVID-19. Failing to do so can result in fines and other consequences. For example, pubs and restaurants in the UK that are not enforcing the Rule of Six can face fines of up to £4,000. You can also face fines if you’re not following the government’s curfew rules and keeping your business open later than permitted.

Most businesses cannot afford to be shut down right now, and ensuring that you are following government guidelines is the only sure way to guarantee that you can keep operating legally.

In addition, you’ll want to make sure that you’re following government advice in terms of providing a safe shopping setting for your customers. If customers are concerned that your shop is not following social distance guidelines properly or failing to limit the number of shoppers in the store at a time, this can drastically affect your business. If customers do not feel that their safety is a priority in your store, they will quickly find an establishment that is providing this reassurance.

This can also explain why we see many retailers doing more than just limiting shopper numbers and marking 2m distance guidance on the floor in tape. Many shops have installed perspex partitions to protect both employees and customers, one-way systems, and a variety of other strategies.

Invest in Contactless Technology

If you haven’t already invested in technology to accept contactless payments, the truth is that you’re far behind the curve and your competition is already offering this. Contactless card payments are currently among the preferred methods of payment as customers do not need to interact with the pin pad, and can instead tap and be on their way.

Cashierless payments take this one step further. Our MishiPay technology allows customers to pay for their items on their own mobile phone, without having to approach a till and interact with an employee. Furthermore, cashier-less payment reduces the amount of time customers have to spend in a store, as they do not have to wait in a queue, which can go a long way in preventing the spread of coronavirus. Find out more about how you can help stop the spread with scan & go technology.