The supermarket industry is truly inspiring during the crisis caused by COVID-19. The workers across the supply chain - from those manufacturing needed products, to truckers and distributors, to the people stocking shelves and checking shoppers out - are on the frontlines of this battle. Everyone and every organization throughout the industry has stepped up to ensure that food and needed supplies continue to flow to shoppers in every community across the United States.
Speaking with retailers and others, many retailers are slowly recovering from the panic buying that has occurred in the first couple weeks of this crisis. Food and supplies are slowly being restocked, and retailers are wisely limiting purchase quantities to insure that the majority of shoppers are able to get needed products.
The partnerships that are arising almost daily between retailers, wholesalers, and distributors and companies in related sectors to ensure there are enough workers across the supply chain is incredible, especially as the virus spreads, impacting the workforce in critical businesses.
To me, what’s most impressive, is how companies, especially retailers, are innovating in realtime as they adjust to this new reality. Now, many retailers don’t think of what they are doing as innovation; they’re just trying to solve problems as they arise. But it really is innovation and I hope these same retailers and companies can continue that same approach to solving problems quickly and effectively as we come out the other side of this pandemic.
New innovation is popping up every day across the industry. From New Seasons Market launching an app to create virtual waiting lines to Kroger closing a store to just fulfill online orders, from Walmart quickly instituting contactless payment and order pickup to the clear barriers being put in place between cashiers and customers to limit the spread, retailers are moving at lightspeed to respond to the situation.
To retailers: CART is here to support you in any way we can. I am talking and communicating with executives across the industry every day, helping answer questions, providing thoughts and suggestions, and simply providing support.
To solution providers: Unless you can provide immediate, easy-to-implement capability that can help a retailer address an immediate need during this crisis, please, do not bother retailers at this time. Now is not the time to sell. Retailers are completely focused on getting needed products on the shelf, keeping their workers healthy, and serving their communities. This should go without saying but I have talked with several solution providers who think it is business as usual with regard to sales. We would suggest to use this time to review your sales pipelines, your marketing and sales materials, and develop a plan for when we come out the other side of this crisis into a new normal.
To everyone: We are hosting regular Zoom webinars with themes pertinent to the COVID-19 crisis, as well as, posting our thoughts, ideas and suggestions on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook so please follow CART, our Advancing Retail group, Gary and Sterling for the latest information.
Stay safe. Stay healthy.
The CART Team