How Electronic Retail Stores Should Plan Opening Shops After Lockdown

The novel COVID-19 has brought the world to a standstill. With the proactive steps of the government, the country has been in a state of lockdown for months now. While this did allow India to prevent an exponential rise in cases, it does pose a serious challenge for businesses to open effectively.

Failure to do so would undo all the efforts of the lockdown. While this is a challenge for all types of retail businesses, the problem for electronic shops is all the way more profound. If you run an electronic retail shop, here are some tips that will aid you in chalking out your exit plan from this prolonged lockdown.

Safety is the Key

The first and foremost step is to inculcate healthy habits among the staff. Encourage hand washing and ensure that there are ample washbasins around the shop. Make sure that salesman, cashiers, managers, delivery staff, and everyone associated with the business washes their hands regularly.

Installation of the Arogya Setu App and the wearing of face masks should also be enforced. When a customer enters the shop, he or she should be greeted with sanitisers. Such acts of caution will go a long way in flattening the curve.

Transportation for Employees

Arrange door-to-door pickup and drop for your employees to prevent them from using public transport and catching the virus in the process. Make sure that masks are worn during the journey.

If your business requires staff to wear a uniform arrange for ample sets of clothing so that your employees can wash their uniform after every wear. Encourage your employees to not only wash their clothes after each wear but also dry the same under direct sunlight.

Maintain your Accounts

As a business owner, restarting your electronics retail shop after such a long time makes it seem overwhelming. You will have vendors and suppliers to attend to, employees to take care of, potential customers to woo and a lot more to do.

In the midst of all of that, do not neglect to maintain proper records of everything that you do. Not only will that help you to file your gst annual return, but it will also go a long way in maintaining transparency in the future.

Professional Sanitisation

Hire a professional firm to sanitise your shop and godown before you restart your business. As an electronic retail shop, you will have delivery trucks for the transport of goods. Make sure these are sanitised as well. Post reopening, such sanitisations must be carried out regularly.

Making the most of Government Schemes

Resuming business for electronics retail shops would mean continuing the preparation of invoices, checking out the gst calculator india, and keeping a tab on all the dues that you need to pay off.

In the wake of the pandemic and the economic crisis in the country today, the government has launched a series of relief measures for businesses. Being aware of them will allow you to save your business from unnecessary losses.

Prepare a Post-COVID Work Schedule

For a retail electronic business to resume business, you will need your staff to get back to work. If possible, try to get them to work in a staggered manner wherein a fraction of the total employees come to work every day. If your store requires staff to work in shifts, try to keep an hour’s gap between two consecutive shifts.

Publicity

As the standstill country gradually resumes operations, it is understandable that your potential customers will be a little apprehensive on the safety front. It is important to let them know of the safety measures that your business has opted for and all that you are doing to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Opt for publicity campaigns in social media or through the local newspapers or television channels to spread the word.

Conclusion

For the economy of the country to prosper, retail shops need to open, and electronics are no exception. With proper precautions and a systemic reopening plan, it is possible to come out of the lockdown in a manner such that there is no abnormal spike in the number of active cases.

As more and more electronics shops reopen, we can expect the nation to strike a balance between reviving the economy and tackling the coronavirus.