Big Picture - May 2020 - 17

KFO The only retail I'm aware of that hasn't taken their foot

WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON THE CONCEPT THAT RETAIL
IS NOT DEAD, BUT EVOLVING?
CS This is an absolute truth. The death of retail has been
predicted many times over the years, and retail has been
mightily tested before, but the reality is that retail is not and
will not be dead; it will be different.
KFO I don't think retail is dead, or dying. It is, as always,

evolving. Brick and mortar retail continues to be relevant to
consumers, and should continue to be after COVID-19. Maybe
someday we'll do all of our shopping online, or through other
means, but I don't think that'll be tomorrow. Physical stores
have a significant advantage; they're excellent venues for
memorable shared experiences and customer-centric
storytelling. Current online shopping cannot rival this.

off the gas is grocery. All others seem to be paused. We
don't do a lot of food and beverage, but have colleagues
who do, and they're taking a beating. Right now, knock on
wood, none of our projects have gone on hold. I think there
are print opportunities. Grocers definitely need the kind of
graphics you suggest, but I think there's also a need for
other communication that would be served well with
printing. Customers are looking for information from
retailers about how to stay safe, or how to shop in these
new conditions. That should be communicated by the
retailer. Some stores will help customers with bagging,
others will not; some allow reusable bags, other do not;
some limit the number of customers in the store, others do
not; some have hand sanitizer, others do not. It's really a
mixed bag of retailer responses. Retailers should be
communicating about these issues, but it seems like
confusion or inconsistency is more common. I don't know
of any retailers who are currently printing instructions,
directions, information, or other things for store exteriors. I
think this is a missed opportunity for them to communicate
with customers. My local Whole Foods Market controls
customer flow and pace of customer entry, but there's no
external communication about how it works, nor how long
it will take to get into the store if there's a line. And exterior
queuing also seems to be a fly by the seat of the pants
affair. All of these are places where PSPs may be able to
offer options or ideas to retailers.

HOW SHOULD PSPS COMMUNICATE WITH THEIR
CURRENT RETAIL CLIENTS DURING THIS TIME?

CS Retailers that focus on discretionary categories like
apparel, home, and high-end products are definitely feeling
pain right now. For the near term, that will trickle down to
the businesses that support these categories. In the brick and
mortar space, retailers have leveraged grocery to drive more
frequent trips, which, in turn, benefits non-essential categories
- as customers shop for snacks, a sweater or a set of sheets
might end up in the cart. Now, the massive and unanticipated
shift to online shopping has drawn glaring attention to the
digital disconnect between grocery and discretionary
categories. These businesses are often siloed online, which
further compromises retailers' ability to sell non-essentials.
Mandated bans on sales of nonessential categories in some
markets exacerbate the downturn. The good news is there
will be pent-up demand on the other side of the pandemic.
Even though it will take time for the economy to fully
recover, consumers will be out and about, seeking diversion
and a bit of reward for hunkering down. At the same time,
retailers and brands will be determined to make up for lost
time (and sales). Timing is the big question and it's important
to stay in contact with retailers and brands to determine
opportunities. Retailers won't necessarily be in lock step,
and some will be better prepared than others to hit the
ground running.

CS The key is to strike a balance between staying in touch
and over-communicating. Be mindful of where your business
sits in retailers' and brands' overall priorities. Designating a
single point of contact makes sense to streamline and track
communication more efficiently. Tone is important. I always
coach my clients to be "positive and assumptive," and that
makes even more sense now. There's enough gloom and
doom circulating these days, so rather than piling on the
pain, take a proactive and future-seeking perspective.
Assume better times ahead and work toward them. That
alone will set you apart.
Timing is the big question, so it's important to stay in
contact with retailers and brands to determine opportunities.
PSPs should not assume all retailers will be working with the
same readiness and re-entry timeframes or even that they're
following regional or national guidelines to the letter.
During this relative down time, PSPs can take the
opportunity to provide thought leadership relating to best
practices and trends, even outside of the print space. In my
business, I've seen an uptick in pitch-free learning events -
companies hosting virtual events that provide value without
an "ask." There's a real opportunity to forge meaningful and
helpful connections at a time when everyone is feeling
disconnected. The key word is "helpful."

BIGPICTURE.NET

PSPS WHO HAVE CLIENTS THAT ARE DEEMED
ESSENTIAL (KROGER, HOME DEPOT, ETC.) ARE ABLE
TO PRINT THINGS LIKE FLOOR SIGNAGE REMINDING
CUSTOMERS TO PRACTICE SOCIAL DISTANCING
AND OUTDOOR SIGNAGE ALERTING CUSTOMERS TO
STAY IN THEIR CARS AND CALL IN THEIR ORDERS,
WHILE OTHERS WHO FOCUS ON HIGH-END RETAIL
ARE LOSING THEIR PRINT WORK FOR BRICK AND
MORTAR STORES THAT ARE NOW CLOSED. CAN YOU
SHARE ANY RETAIL/P-O-P MARKETS PSPS CAN
CURRENTLY TARGET IN ORDER TO STAY IN BUSINESS AND/OR GAIN NEW BUSINESS?

17
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Big Picture - May 2020

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