For watch boutiques and car showrooms, premium also now means safe

Singapore

WITH Phase 2 of reopening the Singapore economy kicking in from Friday, the weekend is set to come early for shopaholics and potential car buyers as retail stores in malls and car showrooms prepare to resume business in the next 48 hours.

The shopping experience, however, is likely to be a different one as safe-distancing measures are expected to be tightly enforced to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Luxury retailers like high-end watch boutiques which The Business Times spoke to, especially, are aware that they are still expected to deliver customer service with a personal touch just like in the old days - even if that means disposable gloves and hand sanitisers will become a common sight in-store.

Brands like Audemars Piguet, IWC, Piaget and Franck Muller, as well as distributor Crystal Time, shared that temperature checks will be conducted at the door and crowd control will be implemented to safeguard staff and customers.

In addition, operating hours will be shortened to allow extra time for cleaning, high-touch surface areas will be wiped down regularly, and merchandise will be disinfected thoroughly before being returned to the display cabinets.

A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU

Friday, 8.30 am

SGSME

Get updates on Singapore's SME community, along with profiles, news and tips.

Sign Up

"In terms of retail operations, there is increased focus on ensuring that the boutique is a safe shopping and working environment for our clients and staff," noted an IWC spokesperson.

Crystal Time's senior brand manager Pamela Tan said that the distributor has also taken extra precaution by ordering UV light boxes to sterilise watches that customers have tried on. These, however, will only arrive next week as Phase 2 has kicked in earlier than expected and caught the company off-guard.

Audemars Piguet, meanwhile, will set up acrylic counter shields on sales table and seats will be spaced out at least one metre apart at both its boutiques.

As the shopping experience changes with these new measures put in place, the challenge in the "new normal" will be to reinvent retail and to become more agile, said Petronille de Parseval, managing director of Piaget South-east Asia and Australia.

She explained: "Boutiques will probably witness a lower traffic as people will avoid browsing and spending time in crowded areas - so our sales ambassador will have to adapt and engage with their customers sometimes outside our boutique."

To that end, Piaget recently launched its virtual boutique - a move which IWC also made during the "circuit breaker" period.

After all, the pandemic has redefined how consumers interact with brands, noted Franck Muller's senior vice president O Wee Yong. "Customers are now more receptive to an omni-channel commerce experience," he added.

Car dealerships around the island will also open their doors this Friday and, likewise, automotive companies here are taking decisive steps to implement a series of safe management measures.

Cycle & Carriage Singapore (CCS) has rolled out measures that include placing disinfectant doormats at all entry points to sanitise shoe soles; sanitising all pens used by customers; and sanitising of car interiors before and after working on the car, as well as using protective coverings on all high-touch areas within the car.

It also added that all visitors would be offered disposable gloves and all car keys are sanitised and kept in individual zipper bags.

These enhanced safe management measures will be implemented across all CCS operating premises, covering the brands - Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Kia, Citroen, DS Automobiles and Maxus - that it carries.

Stanley Toh, chief customer officer of CCS, said: "This is the new normal and as a responsible business, we have decided to take additional safety measures above and beyond what are required.

"We walked through the entire customer journey and paid attention to every detail. These measures are taken seriously as they concern the health and safety of our customers, staff and that of their loved ones."

Mr Toh also shared that staff with higher frequencies of interaction such as security guards and receptionists, will don face masks, face shields and gloves.

Tan Chong Motor, which distributes Nissan and Subaru here, has also stepped up its safety measures. A spokesperson for the company told BT that it has placed safe-distance markers at all of its showrooms.

All of Tan Chong's sales consultants will also don face shields and a limit will be imposed on the number of people allowed into its showroom.

"On top of the existing precautions in place, we have begun the process of shifting the cars around so that our customers are far apart when in the premises," added the spokesman.

While the motor dealers are clear on the safety measures, there is less clarity on when bidding for certificates of entitlement (COEs) - suspended since April - can resume.

In its last media release on May 22, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said that it will continue to halt COE bidding exercises until further notice and that it will be monitoring the situation closely. An update on subsequent bidding exercises will be announced in due course.