Amy Bennett, founder of The Greene Grape specialty food and wine store, in Brooklyn, New York, has adapted to changing consumer behavior to keep her store alive during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the latest installment of SFA’s Working with Buyers webinar series, she shared her first-hand experience with the pandemic’s impact on retail.
Bennett said that The Greene Grape has experienced “eras” of the COVID-19 pandemic. At first, customers were panic buying, which brought product shortages, and then, as customers sought to stay home more, delivery became essential to the retail environment. “We’re in the stable mask stage now,” said Bennett. "Customers and employees have grown accustomed to wearing masks and socially distancing themselves, settling into a “new normal.”
According to Bennett, the pandemic has enabled The Greene Grape to tighten its focus and make more strategic changes. For example, the retailer updated its website to make it easier for customers to shop for products online. Around mid-March, Bennett noticed that online sales were increasing exponentially. “We went from doing 12 deliveries a week to doing 504 of them. I personally made 36 deliveries in one day,” she said.
The Greene Grape has also pivoted to offering more grab-and-go products as customers search for more pre-packaged food. However, there are service counters with employees stationed to help customers with any questions or to help with their purchases. “This is great example of something we’ve done that has made our business stronger,” Bennett said.
from Specialty Food News https://ift.tt/3cMMp9q
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