As more establishments open up, how can businesses provide pleasant experiences without compromising safety?

Pre-pandemic Convenience

Within the last decade, we have seen the efforts of organizations and businesses to improve the way people experience their brand.

Companies like Uber, Amazon, and Airbnb, has pioneered inventive ways to serve their customers better, faster, and overall more convenient. Almost everything can be bought, delivered, or reached with very few steps or just a few taps from your phone. Brand experiences were designed with the customer’s convenience at its core.

And then the pandemic happened.

The Shift to Safety

To safeguard the health of the public, organizations and businesses had to switch their focus from convenience to safety. 

Constant temperature checks, the mandatory wearing of masks, crowd control, among others, have become a part of our lives — all to protect our health. While extremely necessary, these extra steps along the experience have contributed to longer queues, limited services, and generally sluggish experience.

Convenience vs. Safety

These safety procedures are imperative to keep everyone safe. And we should always prioritize our life and health over faster transactions and enjoyable shopping experiences.

However, as leaders of organizations and businesses, we should consistently deliver the best experiences for our communities. We should not settle for what is available but instead, look for opportunities to improve the way people experience our brands.

But how do you strike the perfect balance of safety and comfort in the experience? How can you make the lives of your customers a little better without sacrificing their safety?

A Step Towards Safety

Elevators are one of the places that retailers had to monitor closely as its natural usage involves physical contact with other people and surfaces.

Aside from limiting the number of people per ride, Bangkok-based mall Seacon Square has found a safer way for shoppers to use the elevators. In place of the usual elevator buttons, foot pedals are installed which allow the person to operate the elevators hands-free.

This reduces surface contact while promoting convenient operation for customers with their hands full of shopping bags.

A simple move like this will be appreciated by the consumers of today as it offers peace of mind and safety in a place where you least expect it.

Beyond the Shelves

Russian supermarket chain Vkusvill found an alternative way to bring their products to more people without them queuing at their stores.
They installed vending machines that house small essential food products like sandwiches, bags of chips, and handy meals. They are placed conveniently near the entrances of residential buildings in Moscow to accommodate people who want to avoid the risk of getting infected in crowded supermarkets.

While this initiative has been in place since 2018, Vkusvill was able to advantage of this during the pandemic to keep its community safe by reducing physical contact while addressing the inconvenience of inaccessibility.

Best of Both Worlds

Being a communal purchase space, shopping malls have been one of the most affected by the pandemic. To address this, Ayala Malls have devised ways that follow safety standards and also elevated the way people shop and experience their services.

Aside from the mandatory health protocols, Ayala Malls also activated their large open spaces as an extension of their food and retail shop to augment seating capacity in naturally ventilated areas.

An initiative called Drivebuy was also launched. This allows shoppers to call the stores, place their orders, and pick them up curbside at the safety and convenience of their cars.
They also promote the use of their app called Zing that has a unique navigation system that can help shoppers easily locate stores Waze-like, among other helpful features.

While following health standards, the leaders of Ayala Malls have found meaningful ways to make their customers’ lives a little better despite all the restrictions that this pandemic has brought us.

Innovation amid inconveniences

In a time of limitations, progressive business leaders like you should rethink how to continue serving your customers without sacrificing their safety. Our definition of safety should go beyond mere restrictions. 

Prioritize health first and foremost. Minimize unnecessary inconveniences. Then strive to elevate the experience by looking at opportunities where brands can provide little moments of delight.

In a world filled with adversity and constraints, solving small discomforts will go a long way towards building trust among your people.
If you have the vision but you’re not quite sure where to start, you may reach out to us by clicking here.