Minnesota retailers deemed non-essential and closed under Govenor Walz's stay at home Executive Order are turning their attention to their communities. At the Minnesota Retailers Association we have fielded many calls from retailers asking what they can do to make things better, including calls from clothing retailers with idle tailors. 

 

With fewer suits to alter, clothiers are putting their fabrics and skilled workers on the task of responding to the desperate shortage of masks for healthcare workers.

Note: Click here for important re-open guidelines, samples, and templates!

What You Need To Know For Curbside & Delivery Service Beginning May 4

On April 30 Governor Walz released Executive Order 20-48, which allows retail establishments to begin curbside and delivery services starting Monday, May 4. According to the Administration allowing curbside and delivery services will allow 30,000 Minnesotans get back to work. Here's what you need to know.

In allowing curbside pick-up and delivery, the Governor put out these guidelines:

• All customer facing retail establishments are eligible for delivery/pick-up starting Monday
  • This includes but is not limited to: household goods rentals, maintenance services, repair services, pet grooming, and more.
• Every business must develop and post a plan for how to open safely; click here for a template
  • Post the plan in the most practical place possible so employees and customers can see it.
• Contact-less payment should be used in every possible scenario
• Employees and customers should wear masks and protective equipment
• In curbside pick-up, social distancing guidelines apply. Customers should not leave your car if possible
  • You cannot allow customers into retail stores or the business premises.
• In delivery, items should be deposited outside a customer's residence

For more information on guidance on re-opening businesses click here.

See below for MnRA's best practices for delivery and curbside services.

Retailers across Minnesota are implementing impressive measures to make shopping as safe as possible for customers & employees

To assist retailers, here is a collection of social distancing best practices for curbside and delivery:

• Contactless payment
• Social distancing at curbside pickup and delivery:
• Social distancing and enhanced cleaning in the store when fulfilling orders
• Use of face covering when social distancing isn’t possible
• Clear signage and communication between the retailer and customer.

As the new year hits, we asked MnRA friends to share advice for retailers and their key partners. Here are the top pieces of advice we selected:

 

"Create a premium brand. Keep your product and service fresh and the best. Treat your employees like gold and tell your customers how much you appreciate them. Leave them feeling always like they have found the best kept secret."

 

"Ground yourself in the consumers’ experience expectations. How do they want to interact with your brand, then meet them there. Ask yourself how their behaviors and expectations will change, then adapt."

 

"The most successful retailer and supplier partners in 2020 are the ones that work seamlessly together to create one-of-a-kind products and experiences that draw in their consumers. Seek out the partners that you are best able to work with to bring these visions to life!"

 

"Focus on execution. Don't fool yourself into thinking execution is something other people in your organization will handle. Require absolute clarity at the intersection between your brand (website or staff) and your customers. Strategic initiatives without flawless execution yield no value."

 

"Look for opportunities to be proactive on generating incoming business versus waiting for customers to walk into your stores. Go get them."

 

"Harness the power of Neuroscience and Psychology to boost sales and marketing. Neuroscience and Psychology have revealed many insights on how consumers make buying decisions. Those insights can help retailers sell more at lower cost. Watch this 17-minute TED Talk on the unconscious buying decisions:"

 

"Get active in your local business community! It doesn’t take much. Call your local chamber of commerce or business association and be a part of the conversation shaping the community around you."

 

"It’s not easy, but tell your customers the story of your philanthropic efforts and the organizations you support. And develop a giving strategy and process (it only has to be a few sentences but write it down!) that aligns with your favorite causes to make it easier to say yes and no to charitable requests in 2020."

 

"The trick to surviving the 2020 elections is focusing on people and ideas, not politics. Politics today seems to be all about winners and losers. People and ideas are how we will advance Minnesota and our communities."