American Consumers and Retailers Adapt to the Ebbs and Flows of COVID-19

BOCA RATON, FL, UNITED STATES, January 6, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- 2022 holds a lot of hope for in-person shopping despite the most recent wave of Omicron cases.

“We know that COVID-19 has played havoc with brick-and-mortar in-person shopping for the past two years,” said Mitch Gould, Founder and CEO of Nutritional Products International, a global brand management firm based in Boca Raton, FL. “Shopping at physical stores has been a rollercoaster ride that ebbs and flows depending on the status of the health crisis.”

Gould said the recent Omicron wave has forced some retailers to temporarily close their stores while others have increased hours and wages to keep their stores open for business.

“Everyone knows what to do after two years. Retailers and consumers have decided how they will react to upswings in COVID-19,” Gould said. “Some consumers will stay home and shop online. Others will don their K95 masks and continue shopping just as before the pandemic.

“For retailers, some will impose mask mandates while others will leave that up to the consumers,” Gould added. “We understand the challenges, and many of us have decided how to live under the rules of the ‘new normal.’”

Regardless of the initial impact of Omicron, Gould said retailers and consumers realize that the new variant will begin to ebb just like Delta before it.

“It may happen even faster because millions more Americans are vaccinated than when Delta swept the nation,” he said.

Gould said RetailWire.com recently reported that “retailers are relatively well prepared to deal with this moment after nearly two years of practice.”

Despite the ups and downs of COVID-19, retailers also have developed new strategies to bring customers back to their brick-and-mortar stores.

Inc.com recently made several predictions for retailers in 2022, including:

●Stores will make a major comeback.
●Stores will become multifaceted assets.
●Store associates will become a significant competitive advantage.

“Stores of the future will become more about distributing meaningful and personalized brand experiences. Smart brands will engage in the experimentation of new store formats and locations,” Inc.com reported.

For example, Dick’s Sporting Goods will add batting cages, rock-climbing walls, and putting greens in their stores to create a better shopping experience for consumers.

As also reported elsewhere, retailers are also turning their stores into distribution hubs to add faster delivery services, which consumers expect.

Inc. also emphasized that “the most successful brands understand the power of human connection in facilitating meaningful relationships.”

Gould said people buy from people.

“To borrow a phrase from the ‘Cheers’ TV show theme song, we like to shop ‘where everyone knows”’ our name,’” Gould said. “Now, because of the pandemic, retailers have to double-down on the personal shopping experience.”

Gould is no stranger to trends in the retail industry after more than three decades as a retail professional.

“I started my career selling consumer goods before e-commerce,” Gould said. “The technology is shinier. There are more platforms to reach consumers. But retailers still have to value their customers and give them a positive, personal shopping experience that will bring them back.”

Gould and NPI work with health and wellness brands that want to sell their innovative products to American consumers.

“We have had to emphasize online platforms because the pandemic forced many consumers to make more digital purchases,” Gould said. “However, we have never lost focus on in-person brick-and-mortar stores.

“NPI’s staff regularly meets and works with buyers from more than 50 large and small retail chains across the country,” Gould added.

To make product launches easier and less costly, Gould developed NPI’s “Evolution of Distribution” platform, which brings together all the professional services brands need to introduce new products to American consumers and retailers.

NPI provides shipping, warehousing, regulatory compliance, wholesale and retail sales, and marketing expertise to its clients.

“We are a turnkey operation for brands that are launching new products in the U.S.,” he added.

For more information, visit www.nutricompany.com.

MORE ON NPI AND ITS FOUNDER
NPI is a privately-held company specializing in the retail distribution of nutraceuticals, dietary supplements, functional beverages, and skin-care products. NPI offers a unique, proven approach for product manufacturers worldwide seeking to launch or expand their products' distribution in the U.S. retail market.

Mitch Gould, the founder of NPI, is a third-generation retail distribution and manufacturing professional. Gould developed the "Evolution of Distribution" platform, which provides domestic and international product manufacturers with the sales, marketing, and product distribution expertise required to succeed in the world's largest market -- the United States. In the early 2000s, Gould was part of a “Powerhouse Trifecta” that placed more than 150 products on Amazon’s new health and wellness category.

Gould, known as a global marketing guru, also has represented icons from the sports and entertainment worlds such as Steven Seagal, Hulk Hogan, Ronnie Coleman, Roberto Clemente Jr., Chuck Liddell, and Wayne Gretzky.

Andrew Polin
Nutritional Products International
email us here

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.