Australia’s bricks and mortar retailers have revealed the solutions they believe will help the entire retail industry bounce back this year in new research by leading parcel delivery service, CouriersPlease (CP).
More than 4 in 10 (42%) retailers said an effective treatment or vaccine is needed, while 34% said further Government assistance to help them pay employee salaries, such as an extension of the JobKeeper scheme; 27% said tax incentives from the government; and 17% believe further cashback incentives are necessary for recovery.
When CP asked retailers about their own recovery, more than one-third (36%) said they will be able to recover to pre-pandemic levels between July and December this year with 13% suggesting that their recovery would depend on restrictions lifting completely, and 8% said recovery would take place after 2021.
CP chief commercial officer, Paul Roper believes the retail industry has a long way to go to recovery.
“While ecommerce has remained strong, many bricks and mortar retailers were forced to close their doors last year,” he said.
“The end of JobKeeper in March, a slow rollout of the NSW Government’s Dine and Discovery voucher scheme and continuing Covid cases across the country, including the recent spike in cases in Melbourne, are just a few of the factors that could lead to cautious consumer spending this year.
“I encourage these retailers to consider shifting to, or growing, their online or omnichannel offering as more Australians become comfortable with online shopping. A number of support measures remain at retailers’ disposal, including the SME Guarantee Scheme and the instant asset write-off scheme.”