Mexicali Blues CEO Topher Mallory sees retail forever changed by the pandemic, with service and customization more important than ever.
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How hard has it been being a retailer in a pandemic amid a labor shortage and supply-chain problems?
“It’s been beyond imaginably hard,” says Mexicali Blues CEO Topher Mallory. “But we continue to evolve.”
As people stayed away from stores and shopped from home, retailers like Mexicali Blues had to adjust. Some of the changes that emerged from the pandemic are here to stay.
“Consumers redefined shopping in 2020 and 2021. And for the future, we still see curbside pickup. We see easier online returns. Consumers want convenience in the form of a true omnichannel shopping experience,” he says.
Reaching customers and interacting with them has also changed. Gone are the days of a big, splashy ad that can reach everyone. Personalization and targeted marketing will become required for retailers to survive.
“In 2022, it’s going to be harder to get a big return on ad spending. Brands and retailers won’t be able to reach as many people with a broad ad. You have to engage with people individually, whether that’s by text or email or adding extra services like an email to suggest washing instructions for the item you just bought. There’s a personalization piece that is here to stay,” Mallory says.
Sometimes that could mean personal handwritten notes or information about the artist that made an item.
“I think putting customers first is the key to the future. So much in retail has been about putting revenue first. But that has changed,” Mallory says. “Our key performance indicators used to be revenue driven. But now it’s driven by the quality of the customer interaction. How many returns or damages are there? How long was someone standing in line? How frustrating was a return process?”
“Customers demanded change due to pandemic safety protocols, initially. But now the change is here to stay,” he says.
