SHOPPERS READY TO BUY APPAREL BUT DON’T FEEL SAFE TRYING IT ON AS STORES REOPEN

by MR Magazine Staff May 11, 2020
retail
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As stores reopen across the country, a recent study by First Insight found that the majority of consumers (54 percent) are ready to buy apparel in-store, followed by home improvement (36 percent), and footwear (32 percent). However, the purchase experience will likely look much different than it did pre-Coronavirus, as 65 percent of women say they will not feel safe trying on clothes in dressing rooms, 78 percent would not feel safe testing beauty products, and 66 percent would not feel safe working with a sales associate.

By comparison, 54 percent of men said they would not feel safe trying on clothes in dressing rooms, 64 percent would not feel safe testing beauty products and 54 percent would not be comfortable working with a sales associate.

The study also found that, of the generations, Millennials feel the safest returning to the shopping environment overall. Only 49 percent of Millennials surveyed said they would not feel safe trying on clothes in dressing rooms compared to 71 percent of Baby Boomers. Similarly, 58 percent would not feel safe testing beauty products compared to 86 percent of Baby Boomers, and 48 percent of Millennials would not feel safe working with a sales associate, versus 72 percent of Baby Boomers.

“While many shoppers seem ready to go back in-store, particularly to buy clothing, the experience is anything but business-as-usual,” said Greg Petro, CEO of First Insight, a leading customer-driven digital product testing solution for brands and retailers. “The Coronavirus has moved the industry away from high-touch to low-touch. The ‘new normal’ for retailers will be to work with shoppers in a hands-free way to help them to find what they need while also giving them the space to feel comfortable, particularly with high-risk groups like Baby Boomers. Not feeling safe trying on clothing also begs many questions on how retailers and brands will need to adapt their return and exchange policy in the coming weeks.”

Respondents felt that hand sanitizer and limiting the amount of people in-store (80 percent respectively) and wearing a face mask (79 percent) would make them feel safest. Temperature checks (69 percent), self-checkout (69 percent), and farther distances between product racks or shelving (68 percent) ranked less important to consumers when considering safety of shopping experiences in-store.

The percent of consumers cutting back on spending due to Coronavirus decreased, with 58 percent of respondents reporting cutbacks in spending on April 30th compared to 62 percent on April 20th.

The new findings were revealed as part of First Insight’s ongoing series of consumer sentiment studies entitled, “The Impact of Coronavirus on Consumer Purchase Decisions and Behaviors.”

5 Replies to “SHOPPERS READY TO BUY APPAREL BUT DON’T FEEL SAFE TRYING IT ON AS STORES REOPEN”

  2. I have been hearing that using a steamer after clothing has been tried on is sanitary, safe. I have not found any verification.

      1. To answer the question below, we’ve read of two timeframes for quarantine of a organic cloth. 12 hours and 24 hours for that article to be presumed safe. We plan on designating a dedicated area for quarantined garments that have been tried on and then returning them to stock. We feel that the answer below will add another layer to combat any contamination.

        Here’s what Jiffy stated:

        Good morning and thank you for your interest in Jiffy Steamer products.

        As we all know steam is HOT.

        Here are recent measurements with a thermocouple exiting our steam heads on several different models…
        MODEL TEST AREA OPERATING ENVIRONMENT MEASUREMENT in F MEASUREMENT in C

        J-2 Steam exiting plastic head attachment Normal operation 210 at 1/2″ 98.8

        J-4000 Steam exiting plastic head attachment Normal operation 210 at 1/2″ 98.8

        ESTEAM Steam exiting plastic head attachment Normal operation 195 90.5

        Many customers have asked about if steam will KILL bacteria, viruses (or just GERMS in general). Here is what we know…

        Per the CDC directive, the influenza virus (we realize COVID-19 is a different strain of virus) is killed at 167 degrees Fahrenheit / 75 degrees Celsius. Our steamers emit 210-212 degrees Fahrenheit / 99-100 degrees Celsius. By exposing the virus to this extreme heat, we feel that we can kill it. We can’t test that theory, but it should work. We would need a lab to substantiate this. Our steamers would be ideal for sanitizing hospitals rooms, bedding, waiting room chairs, clothing, homes, carpets, hard surfaces, etc… The applications are endless.

        We simply present the facts of what our products can do and what the directive is from the CDC.

        Please let us know if we can be of further assistance in any way.

        Customer Care
        P: 1.800.525.4339 | P: 1.731.885.6690 | F: 1.731.885.6692
        4462 Ken-Tenn Highway | Union City, Tennessee 38261
        lrhenberg@jiffysteamer.com | poweredbyjiffy.com
        Celebrating 80 Years of American Manufacturing

        Good luck and stay safe and well!

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