How Tech Helps Retailers Manage COVID-19
Technology has been a boon for beverage alcohol retailers during the COVID-19 crisis . The sudden sweep of the pandemic changed , almost overnight , the way that all stores operated . Protecting the health and safety of customers and staff became a challenging priority .
As did simply doing business . Although beverage alcohol retailers remained open in most states as essential , handling customers amidst a pandemic was an unprecedented task . Many people were justifiably afraid to shop in-person . Rather , they remained home and ordered online . Digital delivery and curbside pickup grew hugely popular — and outright necessary in some areas — in a matter of days .
Emerging trends suddenly fast-forwarded . What seemed like a decade off transformed into the here and now . How could stores evolve so quickly with this changing world ? Enter : technology .
INITIAL CHALLENGES Naturally , retailers that invested in ecommerce before the pandemic were in the best shape to handle our new world . Same even goes for businesses that were in the process of upgrading technology as we entered , unknowingly , the great shakeup of March 2020 .
BY KYLE SWARTZ
What about companies caught flat-footed ? Thankfully , there is a bevy of technology providers that can help retailers adapt swiftly .
Cybertill offers retail management software . “ Our sales are up 30 % from last year ,” says Rebeckah Johnson , VP of Channel and Operations . “ And 70 % of our customers sales are now going through their app and website . The drivethrough aspect of curbside pickup allowed these stores to remain open during the crisis .”
Cybertill had three customers open new shops during the pandemic . Immediately deemed essential , these retailers hit the ground running in a rapidly changing world .
“ It was critical that we got their web databases up and running , with no glitches on their websites ,” says Johnson . “ Anything that could cause glitches with them selling online , we made sure we took care of . This included integrating their apps with their websites so that customers could easily order and pickup curbside .”
City Hive is another provider of ecommerce platforms for beer , wine and spirit shops . Interest in their products exploded in
Cybertill offers high-tech commerce options .
22 Beverage Dynamics • July / August 2020 www . beveragedynamics . com