Post-pandemic period: A new era in-store too

By: Kátai Ildikó Date: 2021. 06. 25. 09:26

Brick-and-mortar grocery stores had to face innumerable challenges because of the pandemic. Closures, the online boom, changing consumption habits, increased hygiene expectations, the many new rules and inspections – all of these have influenced the lives grocery retailers. This article tries to find out what has changed and what are the post-Covid trends.

Hygiene above all

Zsolt Laki
managing director
Allin Property Services

All over the world experts agree: consumers demand high level hygiene and disinfection measures in the post-pandemic period too. Because of this it is very important to inform shoppers about the technology used, the timing and frequency of disinfecting cleaning work and all the other health protection measures.

We learned from Zsolt Laki, managing director of Allin Property Services Kft. that the topic of air quality inside buildings is something more and more people talk about. Retailers or bar and restaurant owners should contemplate how much the ‘invisible operation’ of a bathroom cabinet sized air steriliser adds to customer’s and worker’s feeling of safety. It is essential for stores to communicate the usage of a machine like this to customers in social media and in-store.

Mr Laki added that it is recommend to ask for advice from a ventilation technology expert before commencing any major investment, so that store operators will get the most efficient and reliable equipment. Allin Property Services offer free audits to partners in this domain, after which they can order the system that suits their needs the best.

New types of cleaning equipment

Áron Horváth
marketing manager
Kärcher Hungária

Kärcher Hungária Kft. is an expert of leisure, household, professional and industrial cleaning systems, products and services. The company’s experience is that sales didn’t drop, but the composition of the buyer group and the products they purchase did change – informed head of marketing Áron Horváth. Sales remained stable with fewer purchases, as basket value grew by 30 percent; Kärcher’s online sales jumped 30-35 percent in comparison with the previous year. In the pandemic period the company’s most sought-after product was the steam cleaner, which kills 99.9 percent of bacteria and viruses without using chemicals.

Smart devices, complex solutions

Edit Kerekesné Nagy
Managing director
WANZL Magyarország

Wanzl offers several hygiene solutions for retailers. One of these is SanGuard, a special coating for shopping trolley handles that utilises silver particles to prevent the spreading of viruses and bacteria – told Edit Nagy, managing director of WANZL Magyarország Kft. Wanzl also has a 3D customer counter and management system, which automatically restricts the number of shoppers in the store: in the entrance and exit zones the 3D counters mounted on the ceiling keep counting the number of shoppers entering and leaving the store, and a screen in the entrance area informs customers about the number of people inside. //

Focusing on customers and workers

During the coronavirus pandemic ALDI Hungary’s main concern was preserving the health of customers and workers, and guaranteeing the uninterrupted supply of products. Managing director Bernhard Haider told: ALDI was the first retailer to set up plexiglass panels in front of the cash registers. They installed hand sanitisers and used floor stickers to help social distancing. In order to inform shoppers better, ALDI started communicating on TikTok too. In December 2020 ALDI became the first discounter in Hungary whose products can be ordered online, by using the personal shopping service of Hungarian start-up ROKSH.