Finding new, innovative and convenient ways to do things has always been a part of human nature, for example, the evolution of transportation, education and shopping.
As time progressed, so too has the modes of shopping — moving from a traditional system of bartering to mom-and-pop shops to department stores to retail in shopping malls, Walmart, Costco, Target and PriceSmart and the like.
Technological advancements have also allowed for retail shopping to take place with the click of a mouse at Amazon, Alibaba, Aliexpress, eBay, just to name a few.
TT has been pushed hard into this realm of online shopping as measured to curb the the covid19 pandemic has forced many stores to suspend their brick and mortar operations.
Store owners now have to find innovative and imaginative ways to get their products to their customers, maintain that target market and attract new audiences. This is not an easy feat, as the world wide web is swarmed with unimaginable content.
Many businesses look forward to Father’s Day sales: clothing stores, tool stores, craft shops, electronics stores, among others. But with covid19 restrictions in place these businesses have been forced to close until further notice.
Kross Fine Arts owner Kurleigh Ross who operates a Kiosk at Trincity Mall said the week leading up to Father’s Day would have been one of his busiest weeks in June.
Because of the closure, he said, the business has not been able to generate any income since May.
[caption id="attachment_895520" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Customers shop for hardware items at Bhagwansingh’s as hardware stores were allowed to open for a few days this week. Bhagwansingh’s group marketing manager Baliram John said they were looking at ways to digitalise parts of its operations to keep people safe and make shopping easier. PHOTO BY SUREASH CHOLAI - SUREASH CHOLAI[/caption]
“Things have not been good and while there were thoughts to go online, we are still heavily dependent on the foot traffic at the mall.
“There are many other people in the same business and because we create prints on the spot, this is what we consider our competitive edge. This is how we stay effective and relevant,” Ross said.
Ross added that there was not much planning for post-pandemic as he was unsure of what government and mall owners would mandate but maintained that foot traffic was critical for his business to survive.
Tight Assets owner Marilyn Clarke said she has embraced technology to get her items to her niche market.
Clarke who had stores at Trincity Mall and Long Circular Mall had to close the branch at Long Circular Mall in 2020 because of the covid19 pandemic and lack of funds to sustain operations.
She said the venue at Trincity Mall remained opened but has not been operating since May due to government’s covid19 health regulations.
Clarke added that she has no staff and has since been using platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp to reach customers.
“I have developed a new Facebook and have been using its marketplace and it is working
