Anxiety about COVID-19 has shifted where and how people will shop for the holidays. Research from professional services firm Deloitte shows that more than half of shoppers feel anxious about in-store shopping due to the pandemic. Independent home improvement retailers …
Read More »Tag Archives: curbside pickup
Engaging Customers Through Curbside Pickup
Recently, the National Retail Federation (NRF) spoke with Ron Lutz, chief retail officer at strategy firm Miller Zell. Lutz discussed how retailers can truly engage customers, even during social distancing and curbside pickups, which have grown increasingly common for home …
Read More »Retailers’ Customer Service Evolves in a COVID-19 World
Independent home improvement retailers have stepped up to meet the challenges of serving customers during a pandemic. Many shoppers have avoided in-store shopping, while others have swarmed to stores to stock up on everything from hand sanitizer to bags of …
Read More »NRHA Data Reveals COVID-19’s Home Improvement Impact
To understand how COVID-19, shelter-in-place restrictions and customers’ new expectations for safe, reliable home improvement shopping were impacting the industry, the North American Retail Hardware Association (NRHA) recently deployed the COVID-19 Business Impact Survey. In total, nearly 300 independent home …
Read More »Expert Column: How Essential Retailers Are Leading the Way Into Reopening
Across grocery, pharmacy, home improvement and select other sectors, essential retailers are leading the way to reopen the world as we enter Phase 3 (“management”) of the COVID-19 pandemic. We estimate that this phase will last from now into early …
Read More »Target Posts Significant E-Commerce Growth in Q1 2020
In its first-quarter 2020 financial results, big-box retailer Target reports total revenue of $19.6 billion, an 11.3 percent rise from the same period in 2019. While its stores remained open amid COVID-19 in the U.S., Target also experienced significant digital …
Read More »Cloverdale Ace Hardware Finds New Ways to Serve
When the spread of COVID-19 began changing the lives of residents in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Cloverdale Ace Hardware was quick to find new ways to serve. Store owner Douglas Brown scrambled to ensure his business could continue operating, despite challenges. …
Read More »COVID-19 Updates for Canadian Retailers: May 11
Hardlines is keeping Canadian retailers informed on the ways COVID-19 is impacting their home improvement stores. Check back each week for an update on the latest headlines affecting home improvement retail in Canada. Ontario Eyes Curbside Pickup as Quebec Reopens Ontario …
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