Make Your Brand Thrive, Despite Retail’s Bleak Future

In this ever-evolving new reality, brands need to adapt faster than ever. And without the promise of a vaccine likely until sometime into 2021, new consumer shopping habits will be well ingrained by the time we’re “ready” to optimize for the new normal. I think it’s safe to say that we’re never going back to a pre-pandemic world when it comes to retail, so for brands, the time to act is now. Contactless encounters and transactions are now expected. Some retailers have been forward-thinking enough to set up the infrastructure to turn their brick-and-mortar locations into mini-warehouses for online order pickup. Stores such as Walmart, Best Buy and Home Depot are ahead of the curve. On the beauty front, retail giant Ulta has already introduced curbside pickup at select locations, and it’s only a matter of time before others follow suit.  Of course, the key to any delivery or curbside pickup is the e-commerce transaction that precedes it. Read more at Forbes.