RETAIL MATTERS
Retail matters
This month online4baby’s Managing Director, Christy Foster takes a look at life after Lockdown.
A
s we start to ease out of lockdown, things don’t feel all that different in the world
Meeting in person will always be important, but we have more video conferences than regular calls which I hope will stay around. It’s much easier to build a relationship when you can see and hear the person at the other end of the call. As we grow and grow our brand partnerships, a quick check in via
of business. Most meetings are done remotely, our boardroom is booked out from 9am to 5pm, with Zoom being ever present. We still have the regular malfunctions with sound and video, usually fixed by our ever on hand Head of Meeting in person IT, much to his dismay at will always be our inadequacies of important, but we have “plugging it in” properly. more video conferences We’ve just been through than regular calls which a big recruitment drive I hope will stay around. and even though It’s much easier to build lockdown is nearing the a relationship when you end, we are are still can see and hear the interviewing through the person at the other various platforms out there before that final face to end of the call. face introduction. The poor interviewee that had video call is a great way to keep Peppa Pig streaming in the targets on track. background while her toddler Our new head office and remote demanded snacks - 12 months ago working means we can stay in touch may have horrified many employers, with the operational arm of our whereas now it is seen as a great ability to multi-task and juggle home business, even though they are only 15 mins down the road, a quick and work life as best as we can. teams call saves a lot of time and Working remotely, having very few face to face meetings in over 12 means we can function so much more efficiently, without losing that months, we all survived! It is personal face to face. definitely going to be the way The disappointing, although forward here at Online4baby.
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nursery today
understandable news the Harrogate Trade show has been postponed until October will be over 18months of no trade shows, baby shows or face to face events. From sourcing shows to consumer baby shows, the future of these events and how important online has become will be interesting to see in the future. I do think that people’s work life balance has changed significantly over the last 12 months as we’ve adapted to the ever-changing environment and are not wanting to give up that precious time we’ve had with our children and loved ones, being more adaptive to work and how we approach things differently. As we anniversary last year’s initial peak, we have been lucky to see such strong sales and although the birth rates suggest the baby boom we all hoped for hasn’t materialised, we are still seeing a strong growth across all categories as we surpass over 12 months of uncertainty. With the digital world striving forward, it’s so important to look at how we invest not only financials but also our time. We are currently recruiting
for a few marketing roles, focusing on driving our brand forward with our consumer. As well as the rapid adoption of technology, COVID has helped remove the barrier to buying online giving a more physical experience without having to go into an actual store. It has also accelerated a more community led mindset which has encouraged shopping with independents and localised spending i.e. people working from home are spending in their local area rather than city centres. The future of the high street could be positive for independents in general. COVID has highlighted the flaws in the high street model and forced a change. This opens the door for new concepts and those previously priced out which will create a more diverse high street rather than the same faces as it is currently. Many retailers are embracing and adapting to the changes in both how they engage with customers and its employees - here at Online4Baby this is definitely at the centre of our strategy for the future.
