POPAI-news: Condom turnover is rising

POPAI and Shop!* chapters keep in touch and the member organizations are constantly informing each other about the consequences of the virus situation, with particular regard to the development of the Retail, the FMCG sector and the instore industry. Although government measures throughout Europe are very similar, there are more permissive and stricter regulations, and German trade has undertaken rapid and decisive changes.

Germany practically became socially isolated. Images of initial panic shopping and empty shelves traveled the press. In grocery stores, the situation quickly returned to normal and shelves are filled again.
Non-grocery stores, bars, clubs and shopping malls have closed. Restaurants and cafes can only deliver online orders, direct consumer contact is forbidden.

Pánikbevásárlás Németországban is

Increased protection

German food Retailers are constantly installing virus-protecting Plexiglas walls around cashiers and counters. At the entrance, customers are provided with disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizers so that they can disinfect the shopping carts themselves. The number of customers per square meter has been maximized. In many places, the number of shopping carts has also been reduced in proportion to the square meter. Warnings are placed instore and outdoor of keeping a sufficient distance, preferably 2 shopping carts. Striking floor stickers make it easy and spectacular to keep up with the required meters.

Companies supplying POP materials are top-notch, receiving so many orders of floor stickers, plexiglass walls, protective gear, and other point-of-sale communication tools from their trading partners. The message, on the one hand, calls attention to distance and increased compliance with hygiene rules and, on the other hand, calls on customers to avoid panic shopping and overstocking.

Padlómatricák a boltokban

The new currency is toilet paper

In Germany, the fastest and largest quantities of sold products are basic and durable food, household paper products, disinfectant soaps and detergents. Our new currency is toilet paper – emphasizes Astrid Becker, General Manager of POPAI DACH (German, Austrian, Swiss) common headquarters.

Several store chains employs separate security guards to these current categories, In fact, an online application has already been developed, https://www.blitzrechner.de/toilettenpapier/ , to help calculate toilet paper needs.

The winners

Webshops are clearly the winners of this situation. Amazon Germany, is looking for nearly 100,000 delivery drivers, competing for the same potential employees of online restaurants, pharmacies, supermarkets and delivery companies.
The grocery trade turnover is drastically increasing, and besides the already mentioned current product categories, the doubling of condom turnover is highlighted. The same trend is confirmed by sex shops and related stores.
Despite all this, German trade is losing $ 1.15 billion Euros a day due to the coronavirus and restrictions. According to a statement by the German Retail Association, bankruptcy announcements are expected in the sector over the next four weeks.

* POPAI, from 2015 named Shop! is an international organization of the Marketing and Retail industry which headquarters placed in Chicago and Hollywood Florida, representing nearly 2000 local offices. Hungary joined with the POPAI Hungary Association in 2003, which has since then been a nonprofit professional, educational, research and knowledge transfer organisation active mainly in the FMCG sector. Read more: popai.hu