Mall owners will finally see the light on June 8, 2020. They are finally bracing up to provide the maximum security to the visitors and comply with the government guidelines. However, they are also carrying the burden of selling off the piled-up inventory.
Everyone has been predicting that many retailers would resort to offering huge discounts and great deals to lure the customers, but, it seems like the retailers have a different strategy. In order to meet the social distancing norms and prevent overcrowding, retailers have decided to not offer discounts.
“We expect only serious shoppers to visit malls, discounts could attract a larger set of the consumer base. Overcrowding is the last thing we want from a safety standpoint,” said J Suresh, chief executive officer at Arvind Fashion, which manages over two dozen brands including Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, and Arrow.
The opening date of the malls is surprisingly coinciding with the end-of-season sales which usually happen during mid-June. Many brands have been offering discounts on their e-commerce sites to induce people to make the purchase.
“It will be a challenge considering the social distance norms and safety measures we have to follow, but we will run it following all norms. There could be queues outside stores when sales start,” Abhishek Ganguly, country head of Puma said.
The government has issued a set of guidelines for the mall owners, which they must comply with, to reopen. These instructions include maintaining social distancing, proper sanitization of the stores and the common touchpoints, wearing protective gear, etc.
“This is not the time to be greedy. The first priority will be to provide a safe and comfortable shopping experience for customers, instead of discounting,” said Rakesh Biyani, managing director at Future Retail.
The retailers, however, believe that the number of visitors inside a store should depend on the store size. They argue that larger stores can accommodate more customers while adhering to social distancing norms. “Brands should be allowed to monitor the number of customers in the store as per the size of the store and ensure social distance norms are being followed,” sais a spokesperson from H&M. They further added that the number of people should be in proportion to the size of the store.
Suggesting a more feasible approach, Pushpa Bector, executive director of DLF Shopping Malls said, “Retailers are free to offer discounts but we would suggest they call their loyal customers at a pre-decided time so that they don’t have to wait outside the malls or shops. Even couples will be advised to maintain social distancing,”
