5 Ways In Which Shopping Is Likely To Change After Coronavirus. Think Virtual Trial Rooms And The Like

5 Ways In Which Shopping Is Likely To Change After Coronavirus. Think Virtual Trial Rooms And The Like

Since Covid brought our lives to an abrupt halt, I have window-shopped on every website possible and my carts and wishlists are officially full. That’s my way of escaping from this annoying reality—I call it virtual retail therapy. Try it, it helps.

As a raging shopaholic, I admit that this pandemic hasn’t been easy on me. But what worries me more is how the things will shape up post the global pandemic. It surely won’t be the same as before when you could just wheel your cart to every aisle and touch every soft-looking sweater and imagine yourself in colder climes where you could wear it. And then also put together an outfit in your head, with boots and everything. Cut to reality. Stores that are finally opening after the lockdown. Shoppers need to sanitise their hands before they walk in, keep a minimum of six feet away and mostly, be a responsible shopper. Well, there’s more.

Here are 5 ways the shopping experience will change post-Covid. To give you a heads up, you’d still be expected to maintain social distancing and not wearing a mask won’t be an option. Just saying!

Also Read: Thanks To The Pandemic, Indian Fashion Shows Are Going Digital Soon. This Is So Cool

Online over offline stores

From classroom teaching to weddings, everything is digitized in the pandemic situation. Although the concept of online shopping is already the norm now, it is likely to expand dramatically in the future. That means, more and more offline store retailers will sell online and everything would be available on your personal screen. I mean, who knew we would be ordering groceries from the shop that’s right behind our house, but here we are. With the penetration of online shopping at a mere 3.5%, there’s plenty of room for growth.

Virtual trial rooms will be in

I’ve always hated standing in the long queue outside the trial rooms in malls only to find out that the outfit doesn’t look good on me. It made me wonder why can’t there be digital dressing rooms just like the one Cher had in Clueless? Good for me and all you impatient, unsure shoppers out there, this may be the future of fashion post-Covid. Blackberry, a menswear brand has already announced they are chucking the trial rooms while closer home, Manish Malhotra is considering the virtual trail concept for his brand. It will take time to every brand and store to adopt the high-tech facility, but it’s likely that we will be able to try on outfits virtually.

Cash payments to drop

If you’ve shopped on Amazon lately or any other online retailer for that matter, you’d know that most of them have made the COD option unavailable. If you thought this is just temporary, you might be wrong. At least for some time even after the Coronavirus has left the face of earth, cashless payments would be preferred to shop online and offline to make sure there is least contact between the shopper and the delivery guys or retailer. Net banking and online payment services would be the preferred mode of payment while shopping. This would also mean there could be a surge in digital wallets.

A change in spending pattern

It is still unclear how the consumers will react once the restrictions are fully lifted but the one thing that’s for sure is that spending impulsively and unnecessarily will be put on the back burner. At least for the foreseeable future, shoppers will be more mindful while shopping, given the financial crises and recession that the pandemic has led to. With massive job losses and salary cuts, spending is likely to be conservative. Already, online retailers are offering major discounts and announcing sales to lure customers.

Keep your distance

Lastly, long after the lockdown opens and we go back to the new normal, we’d be expected to keep a safe distance and protect the personal space of others while shopping in physical retail shops. Open areas and large showrooms and shopping malls would beat the crammed and crowded places to shop. Maintaining social distance will become the only right way to shop. Well, that’s one good thing we learnt out of this crisis. Don’t you think?

Also Read: Gwyneth Paltrow Is Auctioning Off Her Oscar Dress To Help Raise Money For The COVID 19 Crisis. We Should All Help Out

Anjali Agarwal

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