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Table of Contents

1. No Touch Retail
2. The Long-Term Industry Impact

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A retail revolution called “No Touch Retail” is happening from coast to coast. With increase competition from Amazon’s delivery options and the exceptional quality of Whole Food Stores that was rolled into their ‘Rundle’ (recurring revenue bundle), Walmart, Apple, Target and even grocery stores made deeper forays into Pickup services with huge results. Now that more people are being forced to use these options rather than going into the store to browse and find what they want, they may not go back after this period of ‘physical distance’ ends.

‘No Touch Retail’ is defined as both delivery and a store pickup experience, often called ‘Click and Collect,’ that does not involve entry. These options are super convenient and efficient, making this feature the engine of Walmart’s growth in recent quarters. (STATS). This is also attracting more affluent shoppers to the company, something they struggled with before in comparison to Target.

This is a fundamental change in behavior for shoppers. They need to plan ahead and order what they need. They need to do this on a scheduled timeline. There’s no more wandering in the store and just finding what you need. While some consumers already embraced that idea, only this crisis drove a wider interest in making this cultural change.

Studies show that the typical shopping trip that used to take an hour instead takes seven minutes. That kind of savings will be meaningful for consumers with a time poverty (e.g., people with children or intense work schedules). Furthermore, the experience of shopping in traditional stores is changing. With paid grocery workers doing the shopping and adding a pickup delivery’s items into a large basket, it’s even more crowded in the aisle for regular shoppers. When we get back into the stores after we pass the crisis, how much more time will be added to that hour shopping trip if the average consumer is tripping over another bunch of workers?

The Long-Term Industry Impact

This reliance on NTR gives these larger companies (including traditional grocers like Kroger), who were already using this tactic or who were able to pivot quickly, a huge advantage against smaller companies that simply cannot put a team in place to support this offering. Many smaller companies have tried to move to a curbside pickup model, only to be shuttered by governors under safe-at-home orders for non-essential businesses. Many single-category retailers have no choice but to close when they are deemed non-essential. This will likely have an impact on distressed retailers who were already on the ropes and now need to cope with a way to keep their business going with no foot traffic and the pressure to potentially lay off their employees. Some of these companies simply will not survive a month or two of idleness. 

This hardship will build the relationship with the local companies where distressed consumers found the staples they needed in a time of crisis.

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