Prepare to buy your boughs of holly early this year B次元官网网址� or just have them delivered B次元官网网址� as store owners adjust to a holiday season that may prove far from jolly.
Retailers are ramping up plans for a transformed Christmas shopping season in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with strategies to draw buyers early, step up their e-commerce game and convince consumers to buy gifts for far-flung friends and family.
Indigo Books & Music Inc. is already rolling out cards and advent calendars. Mountain Equipment Co-op has seen a sales surge for winter products such as snowsuits, which it aims to load onto shelves ahead of schedule alongside snowshoes and skis to spread out the holiday rush.
HudsonB次元官网网址檚 Bay Co. will launch its yuletide collection of clothing and decor six weeks early at the start of October, while some Canadian Tire stores are already aglow with Christmas lights and baubles.
For Indigo CEO Heather Reisman, flexibility and health awareness are top of mind.
In the wake of 15 store closures since March, the chain has revamped its customer experience with private shopping hours B次元官网网址渇or people who may feel particularly compromised,B次元官网网址� she said. Loyalty program members can visit outside of normal operating hours B次元官网网址� typically before 10 a.m. and after 9 p.m. B次元官网网址� to browse at will, free from crowds.
The 12 weeks leading up to New YearB次元官网网址檚 Day usually account for about one-third of annual sales, she said.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not possible to fully make up for almost three months of almost 200 physical stores closed (earlier this year)B次元官网网址� so our goal is to get as close to last yearB次元官网网址檚 sales as possible, recognizing that it will depend on customers spreading out their time.B次元官网网址�
Shipping and logistics continue to be upended as the pandemicB次元官网网址檚 second wave begins to break. Fashion retailer Simons is investing millions in temporary shipping and packing stations to meet the expected spike in demand for online orders. However, CEO Peter Simons doubts the 180-year-old department store can reach previous revenue peaks for the season, which typically make up 40 per cent of sales for the year.
E-commerce poses a B次元官网网址渉uge logistical challenge,B次元官网网址� he said, with online sales already tripling. B次元官网网址淭he complete infrastructure will be very taxed.B次元官网网址�
The pandemic prompted Simons to postpone the opening of a $215-million automated distribution centre in the Montreal area. As a result, it will have to spend millions more on a hiring surge, already underway, to pack and sort online purchases through December, he said.
While some companies are relying on online deals and curbside pickup, London Drugs is bulking up its physical presence. It plans to construct queue shelters at more than half of its 82 stores by mid-October, including metal-roofed structures bolted to buildings to shield Prairie customers from wind and snow.
Real estate company Cadillac Fairview hopes to shorten indoor lineups by registering retailers on its appointment-booking app. The platform, launched recently as a pilot with jewelry chain Pandora at TorontoB次元官网网址檚 Eaton Centre, lets customers schedule a time to swing by the store without having to worry about long queues or crowded aisles.
Companies like Apple Inc. have relied on fluid customer appointment systems for years, but Cadillac Fairview hopes to bring less tech-savvy bricks-and-mortar vendors on board across its 19 shopping centres before Christmas.
Michael LeBlanc, a senior adviser at the Retail Council of Canada, says consumers may have more spending money on hand after shelling out less on vacations, commutes and lunchtime cappuccinos.
B次元官网网址淥ur message to Canadians for the holidays is: shop early and shop often. This is not the year to wait. And retailers are telling me theyB次元官网网址檙e seeing signs of gift buying already,B次元官网网址� LeBlanc said.
But a holiday season that features fewer store visits and gatherings of friends and family may see a corresponding decrease in impulse buys and lavish gift giving, with the unemployment rate lingering above 10 per cent and rent and loan payment deferrals set to expire.
More e-commerce means fewer whimsical purchases in the aisles. But online browsing offers plenty of impulse options as well, with retailers able to suggest products based on previous searches and purchases.
B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 not as smooth online as weB次元官网网址檇 likeB次元官网网址� But thatB次元官网网址檚 where youB次元官网网址檒l have to fight this game, online,B次元官网网址� LeBlanc said.
B次元官网网址淚 canB次元官网网址檛 think of a more important season for all of us, and then maybe thatB次元官网网址檚 reflected in sending people gifts online. Merchants are hoping that will be the caseB次元官网网址� but we just donB次元官网网址檛 really know.B次元官网网址�
Reitmans Canada Ltd., which is restructuring after the insolvent womenB次元官网网址檚 apparel retailer was granted creditor protection in May, hopes to claw back customers with online style sessions by appointment for those hunting for personalized tips.
More casual winter wear will be among the threads on offer as telecommuting remains the norm. B次元官网网址淲e definitely have increased our cozy assortment,B次元官网网址� said Reitmans president Jackie Tardif.
Seasonal outfits and items will hit the shelves early at various retailers across the country as COVID-19 upends the annual shopping surges on Black Friday and Boxing Day. But unless the pandemic returns with a vengeance B次元官网网址� a real possibility B次元官网网址� in-person purchases will not disappear entirely.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e social animals. WeB次元官网网址檙e tactile, social beings. The pandemic has perhaps made us realize what a privilege that is,B次元官网网址� said Peter Simons.
B次元官网网址淏ut it hasnB次元官网网址檛 taken away the hunger or the need for that contact, and I believe that will remain.B次元官网网址�
Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press
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