HP Innovation Journal Issue 15: Summer 2020 | Page 44
Acceleration of Change
Retail
MEUS
MARICHELLA DIWA, OWNER
MAPLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY
“Everyone wants
something that
makes them feel
better.
”
Shopkeeper tip: Bundle products
together to create new offerings
and make shopping convenient.
“The way we do business now is
much more labor-intensive, but we’ve
had an increase in our orders and our
revenue,” says McGervey, who created
the personalized packages and
offers curbside pickup and home
delivery to keep her business afloat
and customers engaged. “Whatever
it takes, we’ll do it.”
From clothing boutiques to wine
merchants to florists, small-business owners who rely on
in-person sales have ramped up their online presence in
recent months. They’re also getting creative, reaching out to
customers with new products and services. Nearly one-fifth
of the business owners in the Harris Poll said they’ve moved
their business online, and 15% have changed their product
offerings in response to the pandemic.
”These are unprecedented times, and we’re all upping
our game,” says Ramon Ray, small-business marketing
expert and founder of Smart Hustle Media, a company
that educates small-business owners. “This is the time
to rise and to reimagine.”
Shifting from in-store to online
For many small businesses, the reality is that even
though physical stores may be operating at limited
capacity and foot traffic is lower than usual, demand is
still there, says Haiyang Li, professor of strategic management
and innovation at Rice University.
“What’s different is the behavior of the customers,”
he says, referencing the fact that many either can’t or
aren’t ready to return to shopping in person. In the
current environment, he says, “all businesses need to
become more digitized.”
Lauren Tilden, owner of Station 7, a retail home goods
and gift shop in Seattle, had already been planning to
add online sales through the ecommerce platform
Shopify, but the pandemic accelerated her plans.
To keep employees safe, Tilden closed her store a
week before Seattle announced stay-at-home orders.
“We spent that week really scrambling to get online,”
she says. Gwen Elliott, who helps businesses navigate
selling online for Shopify, says new stores created on
the platform grew by 62% from March 13 to April 24
compared with the previous six weeks.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHAD HUNT (MARICHELLA DIWA) AND LOCAL FOODS (BENJY LEVIT);
COLOR CORRECTION BY NATHAN KIPE (MARICHELLA DIWA)
INNOVATION/ SUMMER 2020
42