Your store’s appearance both outside and in is part of the formula you as a retailer need to remember to improve your chances of recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Retail consultant Bob Phibbs included several examples in a recent blog.

Here are some of the highlights listed by The Retail Doctor:

• Showcase health and safety. A spotless retail store must also at a minimum require social distancing, have plexiglass separations between cashier and shopper, sanitizing, and masks.
• If you’re surrounded by vacancies, get landlords to put art, displays or something in vacant windows so the view from the street is inviting.
• A store that is haphazardly organized adds stress and anxiety for shoppers. If shoppers feel as though it takes too much work to shop at your store, they won’t.
• Read your online reviews to see if your store’s appearance is affecting shoppers. Criticism might hurt but it will help to make you better.
• Five more tips to improve appearance:

1. 1. Paint, light or otherwise highlight your front door
   2. Install planters on either side of your doors
   3. Put out a welcome mat
   4. Create an eye-catching window display
   5. Add motion to your window – even a spinning pinwheel near a fan can work wonders.