Coronavirus: Alert level three brings some light for retailers and shoppers

Monday, 20 April 2020

New Zealanders will finally be able to shop at coronavirus alert level three.

When the country shifts alert level just before midnight next Monday, Kiwis will be able to buy most products online and have the items delivered to their door.

But businesses that decide to operate will have to find ways to navigate government requirements, online sales and contactless delivery. Physical stores will have to stay closed.

Tanya Gray, one of the developers behind the mobile phone ordering system Chippy, said businesses needed to look at ways to make digital systems work for them.

Online shopping will be available from level three.

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'It is often intimidating and you don't know what you don't know as a non-technical person running a business,' she said.

Tanya Gray, one of the developers of mobile payment app Chippy, says New Zealanders will adapt to doing the majority of their shopping online.

'Most food service businesses don't have online payment systems and so that is what we've got, trying to make it ias easy for businesses to get online as possible.'

New Zealand shoppers were adaptable and were ready for online options, Gray said.

Greg Harford, chief executive of Retail NZ, says some businesses will struggle to sell online.

'The convenience of going into a store was pretty big, formerly, but when you are in a situation like this … and you need an alternative, people will adapt.'

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Monday that the country would move to level three at 11.59pm on April 27.

Level three allows for online shopping as well as click and collect, as long as pick-up is contactless .

Greg Harford, chief executive of Retail NZ, said he expected a lot of businesses to open their online stores once the country moved to level three.

But he estimated that around a quarter of all businesses weren't ready to trade online.

'They will really struggle at level three, even more than at level four because some of their competitors will be able to trade and they wont,' he said.

'Some of those businesses will be cafes and takeaway bars where it is not practical for them to have an online presence normally.'

Harford said online shopping should have been more broadly available at level four.

'What level four has achieved is a lot of businesses have been unable to trade when they could have done so relatively easily,' he said.

'I think the big frustration for many in the retail sector is we have seen really good processes in place for supermarkets and pharmacies, which have clearly worked in keeping people safe.

'It is disappointing that that is not being allowed to happen for a broader range of stores at level three.'

Mitre 10 customer marketing head Jules Lloyd-Jones said the store's full range would be available at level three.

'Customers can choose from either contactless home delivery or contactless Click & Collect (at an allotted time) from the entranceway or carpark of their local store,' Lloyd-Jones said.

'Customers who are unable to order online or can't find exactly what they are looking for online, can phone their local store for help from a personal shopper.'

Trade customers will be able to an order trade supplies online via the store's TradeHub or by phone, for contactless drive-thru collection or delivery to their work site, Lloyd-Jones said.