Retail businesses have always been focused at setting up a welcoming atmosphere to improve customer buying experiences. With COVID-19 still posing a great threat to local businesses, keeping connected to our customer base has become more and more challenging. 

As a manager or business owner, you have the responsibility to assess COVID-19's outspread risks. In particular, you should pay attention to a potential threat concerning customers' and employees' safety. 

In this article, we will discuss the potential risks to your activity. At the same time, we will provide you with some fundamental guidelines to follow to safeguard your business.

Retail Industry during COVID-19 pandemic 

According to a report from Statista, retail sales are projected to reach 26.7 trillion by 2022. The global retail sector recovers after a loss of more than 5% of its revenue in 2020. Despite the development of the vaccine, COVID-19 variants pose a critical threat to the whole industry. Under such premises, contactless technologies such as portable payment terminals and other safety measures become more crucial to implement. 

Following, we look at the five ways to assure safety to your customers, employees, and business.

1) Clean & sanitize everything

The WHO (World Health Organization) has reported that the COVID-19 virus can live on different surfaces such as plastic and stainless steel for up to 72 hours. For this reason, rigorous cleaning protocols must be carried out to avoid the virus spread. 

Such protocols include cleaning public and employee-only areas. It is recommended to reserve some time for cleaning and disinfecting during the work shifts. Employees should clean frequently touched surfaces and items such as portable payment terminals, pens, door handles, elevator buttons, etc. 

Cleaning tasks should be implemented even to the working stations. Employers shall remind employees to wipe monitors, keyboards, touchscreens, and other equipment whenever a new person uses them. In addition, business owners should identify locations in their stores to set hand sanitizers and wipers for customers and employees.

An assessment for all sites needs to be carried out at the end and beginning of the shift. Belongings are to be removed, and business waste disposed of in appropriate containers. 

Learn more on how to clean & disinfect your mobile POS terminal.

2) Maintain social distancing 

Besides assuring that the area is clean, employees and customers shall be required to maintain social distancing. Experts guidelines suggest workers shall maintain a 2m to 1m distance to mitigate the risk of infection. 

Here below, we have listed some of the best practices to avoid the virus spread:

l Consider whether particular tasks/activities requiring close contact between employees could be redesigned to maintain distancing. 

l Install screens or barriers to separate people from each other. 

l Implement back-to-back or side-to-side working rather than face-to-face.

l Reduce gatherings and adopt “smart working” where possible (e.g., video meeting )

3) Digital proof of COVID-19 vaccination

Policies regarding vaccinations differ from country to country. Many nations have employed Apps to support prevention against COVID-19. The apps on smart devices can keep updates on citizens' movements by scanning the code before entering public places.

In addition, these apps can show people medical records. Employers can everyday check whether the employees have been vaccinated or the latest date of testing. Digital proof of COVID-19 can support communities and businesses by identifying individuals with potential infections and isolating them for treatment and quarantine. An example of this application is the "Green pass" in Europe.

4) Provide to employee protective gear

Personal protective equipment (PPE) has become more important than ever during the pandemic. PPE protects employees against health and safety risks at work. As protection against the virus, the first PPE that comes to mind is the mask. 

There are many different types of masks. To know which one to adopt, we recommend checking your region's government health department guidelines. Nonetheless, medical masks are generally suggested to be worn inside locals. Your employees should always wear masks indoor, both in public and employee-only areas. To increase safety, employees should also remind customers to wear masks inside the store. 

5) Encourage contactless payments 

Even before the COVID-19 outbreak, the retail industry was going towards an increasing utilization of contactless payments. Contactless payment methods make shopping more accessible, safe, and fast. 

When a POS system prompts customers to pay, they need to place the card or smart device close to the payment terminal. The information is then transferred from the card's chip or the smart device to the bank. Once the approval is received, the transaction is completed. 

Generally, the whole process takes up to 15 seconds for apps and 30 seconds for chip-enabled cards. Besides the speed and accessibility, contactless payments are also more secure. The customers' information submitted through the merchant POS system is encrypted, making it extremely hard for fraudsters to steal. 

During COVID-19, contactless payment is instrumental to employees and customer safety. Cash or swiping cards between different subjects can also pass on the virus. With the global focus on hygiene and safety, contactless payment can avoid physical interaction between employees and customers. 

Shops can delegate an employee to handle payments or to provide multiple portable payment terminals for each employee. In this way, a business owner can further minimize the risk of cross-infection and assure better safety for their employees. 

At Urovo, we have developed two new solutions for reliable contactless payment: the I9000s and I9100 payment terminals.

Our payment terminals support contactless card payment to IC cards, from magnetic stripe cards to QR code payments. The devices offer safety with contactless scanning while securing customer information being PayPass, PayWave, EMV, and PCI certified. 

Urovo mobile payment terminals are accessible and easy to use as a remote management solution. In addition, the devices are equipped with a 5000-mAh large capacity battery that lasts for 8-10 hours. Customer payments are handled quickly and safely for both them and your employees. 

Conclusion

POS technologies can prepare us for the future, bringing safer and more practical ways to manage our business. 

Urovo is among the world's leading industry mobile application solution providers. Founded in 2016, the company has been serving businesses in over 100 countries and regions. We empower the front line of business in logistics, retail, finance, medical care, manufacturing, public sector, transportation by bringing a new era of mobile payment and management solutions. 

Contact us today to request a free quote!