By Madison Grenauer, Editor-in-chief
@madisongcourant
Shopping in-person is, as some might say, a different experience this year. Many people have now chosen to shop for the majority of their gifts for the holidays online due to various reasons involving COVID-19 and convenience with deliveries. Because local businesses often rely on in-person shoppers for the majority of their revenue, owners must now figure out how l to appeal to the greater public during this holiday season. To try and attract a greater number of shoppers, local and commercial businesses have largely decorated their storefronts and ensured new, clean methods of shopping.
When looking at how high schoolers intend to shop this holiday season, in a poll with 58 responses, 57% intend on shopping online for the entirety of their seasonal gifts, 31% intend on shopping in-person, and 12% intend on doing both.
Belle Dunlap, a junior at New Canaan High School, spoke about how she intended to shop this year despite the various restrictions. “I am nervous about going in person to stores, especially malls because they worry me during COVID-19,” she said. “So I chose to shop online for stores that I couldn’t find in town. I only shopped in person for local businesses in town because they do not have online websites that I am aware of.”
While high schoolers are considering the differences between shopping at commercial businesses and local retailers in town, store owners and mall managers are considering the various ways they can accommodate for the now timide in-person shoppers.
Matthew Seeback, the General Manager of the Sono Collection in Norwalk, spoke on the popularity of shopping during the holidays as well as changes in revenue and in-person traffic for many of the brick and mortar stores present in the mall. Shopping before the pandemic usually involved a much more hands-on experience. “The big statistic before COVID was that 72% of Americans still prefer to touch the item that they purchased before they made a major purchase.” Mr. Seeback said.
The lack of touch has allowed many to resort to online shopping, as it has started to become a similar experience to in-person shopping. In regards to total retail sales throughout the United States, Seeback discussed a few statistics given by the National Retail Federation. “Online and [catalogue shopping]used to be about 11-12% of total retail sales and it swelled to just over 20% [during the initial lockdown], and now it’s retreated to about 13-14% when you remove car and automobile sales, which are included in total retail sales across the US,” Mr. Seeback said.
Despite the statistical increase in shoppers in the commercial retail industry. Local businesses have experienced fewer in-person shoppers than expected. Kelly Sigg, owner of the Pennyweights jewelry store in New Canaan, discussed how her store expected customers this holiday season. “Because of the pandemic this year, we will experience less in-person shoppers as we must limit the number of customers in the store and some people are not comfortable shopping in store” Ms. Sigg said.
With different traffic numbers for local stores and commercial businesses, there have been various methods that retail stores have created in order to keep business up and running. “[Pennyweights] opened an Etsy shop in March when we learned that we would have to close our store. We wanted to provide a way to shop from home for our customers and offer a lot of Pennyweights staple items” Ms. Sigg said.
Now that more methods of shopping are forming in order to adapt to the COVID-19 restrictions, clean ways of shopping are being implemented in order to make more customers feel welcome and safe when entering a typically busy shopping center. “At the SONO collection, we offer in-person shopping and curbside pickup. You can also shop in advance this holiday season,” Mr. Seeback said. “We have partnered with a company called spot holder. You can either go online to find one of our retailers who are participating or, when you are here, scan a QR code and you can create a scheduled time for you to shop in that retailer.”
In addition to the Sono Collection, local stores in New Canaan have had to adapt to the circumstances.
Executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, Laura Budd, discussed how local businesses are accommodating for as many customers as possible this season. “If you don’t want to shop or if you are afraid to come in the store, or if you are just extra cautious, store owners would talk to you before or after hours, they will facetime with you, walk around the stores. The store owners have worked incredibly hard to be as accessible as possible” Ms. Budd said.
Despite all of the new accommodations, how are New Canaan residents feeling on the topic of shopping online versus in-person? “The mindset of New Canaan residents is definitely to shop online. Look, obviously Amazon is doing really well, but I really do believe that there is a great opportunity for the stores now and a great awareness of the residents” Ms. Budd said.
Stores will keep the holiday spirit alive. At the Sono Collection, they are including many of their old traditions, but with a twist. “One element that we brought into the shopping center that we brought back this year is our holiday bell. It is kind of fun, it is a large bell that has lights and motion sensor cameras on it. You can walk underneath it and it will ring different bells as you walk and as it picks up your motion” Mr. Seeback said.
Not only will their christmas bell be up and running, but Santa will be back in store while remaining socially distant with some holiday music. “We also brought back our free selfies with Santa, but Santa is now going to be in a snowglobe,” Mr. Seeback said. “Some things as simple as changing the music to holiday music improve the sort of Christmas spirit of walking through the center.”
In terms of the festive feel in town, Pennyweights and other locally owned businesses have decided to decorate and host events for more holiday cheer. “For the holidays we are offering our signature complimentary holiday gift wrapping,” Ms. Sigg said. “Also stop by Saturday December 19th for our ugly Christmas sweater day!”
Not only are businesses hosting safe holiday spirit days, but the town as a whole, collaborating with the New Canaan Health Department, has worked to bring the community together virtually. “Since we couldn’t do our holiday stroll, we are doing this little video stroll to make people aware between now and christmas. We started last week and we will be launching little videos to see what is in the stores and to see the store owners and managers” Budd said.
In order to maintain the holiday spirit within the community, a new saying “Think local first!” is being spread by the Chamber of Commerce in order to draw more residents to shop in town at locally owned businesses.
