\r\n The General Manager of the CQCD shares solid tips with us in order to help\r\n Quebec merchants to successfully face the Holiday shopping period in this\r\n unusual year.\r\n<\/h2>\r\n\r\n
\r\n The year 2020 has been... different! As a merchant, navigating through the\r\n upheavals and changes of the last few months may be a colossal challenge.\r\n<\/p>\r\n
\r\n It's an even greater challenge right now: The reintroduction of strict\r\n sanitary measures in several regions of Quebec, right at the beginning of\r\n the busy Holiday shopping period turns an already complicated situation into\r\n a million-piece puzzle.\r\n<\/p>\r\n
\r\n Fortunately, merchants tend to be inventive and creative people! There's a\r\n solution to every problem. To better understand what merchants can do to\r\n face this delicate period, we spoke with St\u00e9phane Drouin, General Manager of\r\n the\r\n \r\n It's almost inevitable: The number of stores that people will shop at this\r\n year for the Holidays will decrease compared to a normal year. According to\r\n CQCD projections, whereas consumers generally shop in an average of 7 to 8\r\n stores, this year they will only visit 4 to 5. The amount spent on gifts is\r\n also expected to decrease by about 10%.\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\n In this context, each cart that goes through your cash registers counts! How\r\n do you reduce the number of lost opportunities?\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\n First, setting up and managing waiting lines<\/strong> will be\r\n important. With increased traffic, there will be lines. The fall weather\r\n will also try people's patience. \u201cIf someone decides to shop in your store,\r\n the last thing you want is for them to see a line and turn around and\r\n leave!\u201d, states Mr. Drouin. According to him, it would be a good idea to set\r\n up outdoor shelters for rainy and snowy days, make sure you let the\r\n appropriate number of customers in at once and make sure that the bottleneck\r\n that customers often encounter at cash registers runs more smoothly.\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\n Speaking of cash registers, merchandising will be particularly crucial. In\r\n fact, any measures that\r\n encourage impulse buying<\/strong> will be particularly significant.\r\n Offering the right items at the cash will be essential to maximizing each\r\n cart. It would also be useful to inform your employees on the floor to be\r\n proactive in order to offer customers more items. Remember: People are\r\n already expecting to do less shopping this year. If they can find an extra\r\n gift in your store, they will be reassured of not having to go to another\r\n store. It\u2019s win-win!\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\n Next, if you offer online or catalogue sales, Mr. Drouin suggests\r\n favouring in-store pickup<\/strong> or even offering a discount for\r\n in-store pickup. Why? According to him, in-store pickup allows customers to\r\n benefit from the \u201csince I'm already here\u201d effect. Once the customer is in\r\n your store, he or she may want to buy a few extra items, \u201csince I'm already\r\n here\u201d. He also recommends providing for a separate line for customers who\r\n come for in-store pickup. The goal is to create a rapid and efficient\r\n experience which doesn't make customers feel the need to leave as quickly as\r\n possible once they have picked up their items.\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\n or even offering a discount for in-store pickup. Why? According to him,\r\n in-store pickup allows customers to benefit from the \u201csince I'm already\r\n here\u201d effect. Once the customer is in your store, he or she may want to buy\r\n a few extra items, \u201csince I'm already here\u201d. He also recommends providing\r\n for a separate line for customers who come for in-store pickup. The goal is\r\n to create a rapid and efficient experience which doesn't make customers feel\r\n the need to leave as quickly as possible once they have picked up their\r\n items.\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\n Finally, it will be of the utmost importance to\r\n reassure customers and make them feel safe<\/strong>. According to a\r\n survey by the CQCD, consumers say that they feel relatively safe about\r\n in-store shopping despite the circumstances. However, there are high\r\n expectations in terms of respecting sanitary rules. People expect to be\r\n greeted, to see a strict control over mask-wearing rules and areas where\r\n they can wash their hands.\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n \r\n The 2020 sanitary crisis has accelerated the transition to online purchases.\r\n People want to avoid crowds and chaos. This year, online sales are expected\r\n to reach a level that we weren't expecting to reach for 3 to 5 years.\r\n According to Mr. Drouin, \u201ca store that doesn't sell online will definitely\r\n be at a disadvantage compared to its competitor.\u201d\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\n Is it too late to start selling online? It depends on your definition of\r\n \u201ctoo late\u201d. Holiday shopping has already started, so it's up to you to\r\n decide. That said, the new online purchase habits will not disappear in\r\n December. If you're not selling online already, you are depriving yourself\r\n of a constantly growing sales channel.\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\n In order to begin discussing your online sales project, do not hesitate to\r\n \r\n For many people, 2020 has raised awareness on the importance of supporting\r\n local producers and encouraging local businesses. According to Mr. Drouin,\r\n 65% of people plan to purchase local products for this year\u2019s Holidays.\r\n<\/p>\r\n Do your potential customers know that you are a local business?<\/p>\r\n \r\n Identify yourself clearly as a Quebec business. Do not hesitate to take\r\n initiatives that aim to highlight the fact that you are a local business, by\r\n adopting a message to this effect in your advertising or by getting involved\r\n locally.\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\n Think about how your business can contribute positively to your community.\r\n Food banks? Organizations that help people in need? Contributing to a cause\r\n can be an excellent way to get people to talk about you on social media and\r\n in local papers, in addition to allowing you to make a very real and very\r\n concrete contribution in your community. Like Mr. Drouin says: \u201cI have never\r\n seen Amazon sponsor my children\u2019s soccer team!\u201d\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n 01<\/span>\r\n Optimize each cart<\/span>\r\n<\/h3>\r\n
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\r\n\r\n 02<\/span>\r\n Sell online<\/span>\r\n<\/h3>\r\n
\r\n 03<\/span>\r\n Promote yourself as a local merchant<\/span>\r\n<\/h3>\r\n\r\n
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