Loss of turnover and no customers in your shop for over a month. Some people would despair over less than this, says an Eindhoven business owner.
But, the opposite seems to be happening. You can see it when you walk through the Eindhoven shopping area. Shopkeepers are busy cleaning their shops and doing online business. They’re delivering items to costumers and trying to retain as many staff members as possible.
Eddy Kloes of Eddy’s. It’s a clothing shop on Vrijstraat. He’s set up a well-oiled delivery service.
He’s not only keeping his customers happy. He also has 25 employees. It took some preparation, Kloes admits.
A jolly Father Christmas at your door
“Without a good website, packaging and delivery service, you won’t make it”. Eddy is not in a ‘corona slump’ at all. He does deliveries dressed as a jolly Father Christmas. “You have to make something of it, right?”
Van Piere bookshop is also busy with deliveries, although they do those by bicycle. “We started that during the first lockdown,” manager Jan Verhagen says. “But now it’s much more streamlined.”
“We deliver between 150 and 200 books a day. As long as it’s within the municipal boundary, we’ll deliver. Beyond that, it has to be posted.”
No longer about filling the gap
At Van Piere, it’s no longer about filling the COVID-19 hole. “Our primary concern is customer loyalty. We want people to come back soon. So it’s vital that they keep seeing us,” says Jan.
Menswear shop, Wildenberg, is also back in business. Owner, Niels Wildenberg, has placed a large compartment wardrobe in his shop window. In this, he displays dozens of trousers, ties, shoes, and other products.
These products are marked with a number. “The idea is that when people pass by, and an item catches their eye, they then order it on our website. We then deliver it,” says Niels.
“To be honest, I don’t think it will work, but at least we’re keeping busy. You have to make a plan in these troubled times, don’t you?”
Source: Studio040
Translator: Bob
Editor: Melinda Walraven
