24 • Footwear Insight ~ June 2020 footwearinsight.com
SERVICE IS THE WAY FORWARD
4
The bottom line is that the effects of the pandemic
and the shutdown are far from over.
E
ven as doors have reopened, most
shops are planning for a year where
sales will be down 25 percent, 50
percent or more, with many saying
they'll feel fortunate to break even for 2020.
And many store owners said they didn't
expect to see fully normal traffic again until
a vaccine was widely deployed. What will
keep stores moving forward now and after,
they said, was the service they offer.
"We're in the sit-and-fit business and that's
still going to be around. We get people in
whose feet hurt, but what we really sell is
service. They can get the shoes anywhere.
You want that experience," Ravel said.
Miklofsky said the shutdown and reopen-
ing have only underscored how critical it is
for shops to be connected to their shoppers.
"The people that have the advantage right
now have very close relationships to their cus-
tomers — their customers need and want them
to be open," he said. "If you haven't already
built a tight relationship with your consumer,
you need to be thinking about what you can
do in the next few weeks to build and multiply
that strength." l
Sales staff have adapted to the new protocols. Clockwise from top left: Karavel Shoes; Market Street
Shoes; Felger's Footwear; Wesley's Shoes.
"What we really
sell is service.
They can get the
shoes anywhere.
You want that
experience."
Rick Ravel, Karavel Shoes
THE PANDEMIC AND SHUTDOWN'S LASTING EFFECTS
