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Shopify Partners with Canadian Government to Move Small Businesses into Digital Economy

By
Jessica Finch
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On July 15, Canadian multinational ecommerce company Shopify — in partnership with the Government of Canada — announced the launch of ‘Go Digital Canada’, to assist thousands of small businesses with their transition into the digital economy quickly and efficiently.

The event — which included Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, Mary Ng — saw Shopify introduce the initiative in direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As Canadians, we are resilient – finding solutions where others just see a challenge,” said Mary Ng. “Our government is working hard to harness this entrepreneurial spirit and help Canadians turn their innovative ideas into successful businesses – and help them rebuild in the months to come. Shopify is an incredible made-in-Canada success story, and their work to help Canadian entrepreneurs go digital, as we increasingly shift online in response to COVID-19, will help create even more Canadian success stories. Now is Canada’s time.”

SHOPIFY IS SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESSES WITH GO DIGITAL CANADA

Small businesses create the backbone of the Canadian economy, representing nearly 98% of companies in the country. The COVID-19 shutdowns have threatened to decimate many of these businesses, as most are struggling with little knowledge of how to leverage a business onto a digital platform. Small businesses are being forced to pivot their business models, reinventing themselves to adapt to the ‘new normal’ in order to survive, and Go Digital Canada is ready to help in this transition.

Go Digital Canada, available at shopify.ca/canada, is a central resource hub designed to make it easier than ever for Canadian business owners to get online, providing access to a suite of free resources and tools offered by Shopify and its ecosystem partners and industry experts.

Canadian entrepreneurs can launch their online store for free, with 24/7 support and access to resources that will help them to build, run, and grow their business with confidence. Go Digital Canada was developed to support the digitization of businesses in Canada wherever they are in their journey; whether business-owners are new to ecommerce or looking for more tailored solutions to scale their existing business, Go Digital Canada has the necessary tools.

Canadian small businesses across the country can launch their business online for free with an extended 90-day trial (for new merchants that register before October 1), and can access a suite of resources and tools to build their store including step-by-step guidance with Shopify Compass, live webinars, and 24/7 support from the Shopify team. The platform gives business owners the opportunity to tailor their online stores to suit individual needs and preferences, from setting up online payments, gift cards and local pickup/delivery options, to launching free email marketing campaigns (until October 1).

SHOPIFY HAS PARTNERED WITH DIGITAL MAIN STREET TO LEVERAGE SMALL BUSINESS ECOMMERCE PLATFORM

Beyond that, Shopify have also partnered with Digital Main Street, a non-profit organization that helps main street retailers with the adoption of technology. This collaboration is designed to further elevate the quality of the online store, as qualifying independent businesses are referred to Digital Main Street’s ‘ShopHERE’ program where they can have their online store built for them at no-cost.

“Shopify proudly calls Canada home, with our values rooted in supporting the small businesses that make up the backbone of the Canadian economy,” said Harley Finkelstein, Shopify Chief Operating Officer. “Our partnership with the Government of Canada to launch Go Digital Canada is the latest way we’re helping to remove barriers for entrepreneurs, by giving them the tools and resources they need to digitize their business with confidence, at no cost.”

Beyond helping businesses navigate the digital economy, Shopfiy recognizes the importance of building a business around a seamless omni-channel experience. For this reason, Shopify is providing eligible merchants with a free Tap & Chip Reader and POS Pro (until October 31) to help retail stores as they reopen.

To learn more about Go Digital Canada in partnership with the Government of Canada, and the free guidance, tools, and resources available to future-proof Canadian businesses, visit shopify.ca/canada. Canadian organizations looking to partner with Shopify to join Go Digital Canada, and help bring more Canadian businesses online are encouraged to contact go-digital-canada@shopify.com. And to learn more about Digital Main Street’s ShopHERE program click here.

Gap Canada Donates Over $3 Million of New Clothing to Canadians in Need

By
Jessica Finch
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EXTERIOR OF GAP CANADA STORE.

Gap Canada Inc. is donating more than $3 million of new Gap, Banana Republic, and Old Navy (Canada) clothing to those in need in direct response to the COVID-19 crisis that has left many Canadians struggling to provide basic necessities for their families and those left unemployed and who need support getting back on their feet.

GAP CANADA AND DELIVERING GOOD HAVE PARTNERED FOR THE INITIATIVE

The leading global retailer has partnered with Delivering Good — a non-profit organization that unites retailers, manufacturers, foundations, and individuals to support those affected by poverty and tragedy – to launch the generous initiative. The donated clothing items are going directly to LIFE*SPIN located in London, Ontario.

The donation is designed to help those who are struggling to rebuild after the COVID-19 pandemic decimated peoples’ livelihoods. This gesture is the latest in the company’s ongoing efforts to support its communities during this difficult time.

“During this unique moment in history, it’s more necessary than ever to come together and support those in our global communities who have been directly impacted by the COVID-19 crisis,” said Mark Breitbard, President and CEO of Banana Republic and Gap Inc. specialty brands. “Through our partnership with Delivering Good, we’re committed to helping Canadians get back to work by providing clothing they can wear for interviews and in different work environments.”

THE GAP FOUNDATION IS DEDICATED TO HELPING THOSE IMPACTED BY COVID-19

The Gap Foundation also previously announced a $1 million USD donation to local, national, and international non-profit organizations to support underserved families during the COVID-19 crisis. The Gap Inc. and its affiliated brands — Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, Athleta, Intermix, Janie and Jack, and Hill City — are dedicated to supporting those in need for as long as it takes. The retailer also recently donated 20,000 reusable non-medical masks to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada — many of which kept its Clubhouses open and operational as a safe place for kids and families in underserved communities.

“By supporting Delivering Good, Gap (Canada) Inc. brands are helping men and women, including those facing poverty, homelessness, and job loss,” said Delivering Good President & CEO Lisa Gurwitch. “This donation will have such a positive impact on men, women and disadvantaged young adults. This new apparel will help individuals and families trying to make ends meet during these difficult times.”

Delivering Good is a national charity focused on helping those who have been impacted by the challenges of COVID-19 and its uncertain aftermath. Delivering Good has over 35 years of crisis experience and a network of more than 700 community partners to distribute the donations to low-income and disadvantaged individuals and families.

“Since opening the first Old Navy store in Canada in 2001, we’ve been dedicated to supporting communities and delivering the democracy of style,” said Nancy Green, President and CEO of Old Navy. “We recognize the need to serve families in our Canadian communities has never been greater than it is today. We’re very proud to be partnering with Delivering Good and providing LIFE*SPIN with essential clothing during a time when they need it the most.”

Gap Inc. — which was founded in 1969 — saw net sales of $16.4 billion in 2019’s fiscal year. The US-based retailer has been operating in Canada for more than 30 years, with its first store in Vancouver. Today its products are available for purchase in more than 90 countries worldwide, through company-operated stores, franchise stores, and e-commerce sites. 

Chinese Furniture Retailer QuanU Expanding into Canada with 1st Store

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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QUANU STORE IN AMANJAYA MALL IN MALAYSIA. PHOTO: AMANJAYA MALL FACEBOOK

The iconic Chinese furniture store, QuanU, in Asia is set to launch its first location in Canada this month at the Kennedy Commons Plaza in the Toronto area.

“QuanU is based in China and it was founded in 1986. It has 35 years of history. We entered Canada about a year ago and now we’re having our first physical store in the Greater Toronto Area on July 25,” said Ray Deng, Marketing and Planning Manager for QuanU Furniture Canada.

“QuanU is the biggest and the most famous furniture store in China and Asia, and now we are landing in Toronto, GTA.”

THE ORIGINAL QUANU EXPANSION PLANS WERE INTERRUPTED BY COVID-19

Deng said the original plan was to open three stores but that has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The company hopes to open a second store by the end of this year.

Brokerage Oberfeld Snowcap is handling the real estate selection under the direction of Elaine Heng.

“By the end of next year, 2021, we should have roughly 10 to 15 stores but that will depend on the situation. I don’t have a crystal ball with me and I don’t know how the COVID-19 situation will be for the end of this year or early next year. I have no idea. But that’s our original plan,” said Deng.

INTERACTIVE MAP OF KENNEDY COMMONS PLAZA.

“That will be across Canada. We had original plans for Vancouver as the second store and then Ottawa. Now due to the COVID situation we are looking at downtown Toronto to be the second store for us.

“I am very confident that it will be one of the key furniture retailers in Canada soon.”

Deng said the retailer is known for offering high quality furniture at affordable prices.

“QuanU is the number one and the biggest furniture manufacturer in China and it has like more than 5,000 stores in China,” said Deng.

“And here now in Canada reputation is one of the key things we have. We have very dynamic products and we have quite a contemporary design.”

EXTERIOR OF QUANU STORE IN ASIA. PHOTO: QUANU FURNITURE FACEBOOK
  • PROMOTIONAL QUANU FLYER. PHOTO: QUANU FURNITURE
  • PROMOTIONAL QUANU FLYER. PHOTO: QUANU FURNITURE

Charles Lee, Vice-President of Operations for QuanU Canada, said QuanU has more than 50 series of furniture lines.

“And the series covers all ages. Young, middle age and old people. Our refresh rates for the new products is very quick. Like every quarter we have new products come out. There will be lots of new products come out very often.”

QuanU Furniture (Group) Co., Ltd, integrates research, production and sales. Founded in 1986, the company has developed into a large-scale modernized furniture enterprise with four centres, including research, production, marketing and financial control centres, 10 branch factories, 20 sales service institutes, hundreds of distributors and over 2000 franchised stores.

212: Summer 2020 Wave of Permanent Store Closures in Canada

By
Retail Insider
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212: Summer 2020 Wave of Permanent Store Closures in Canada

This week Craig & Lee talk about the latest retail casualties which have begun closing stores as a result of or exacerbated by COVID-19. The discussion included independent retailers, national brands and international retailers that are shutting some or all stores over the next couple of months.

The Weekly podcast by Retail Insider Canada is available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

Subscribe, Rate, and Review our Retail Insider Podcast!

Follow Craig:

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Listen & Subscribe:

Share your thoughts!

Drop us a line at Craig@Retail-Insider.com. You can also rate us in Apple Podcasts or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show

Share your thoughts!

Drop us a line at Craig@Retail-Insider.com. You can also rate us in Apple Podcasts or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show!

Retail Pulse Check: July 15, 2020

By
Retail Insider
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Retail Pulse Check

This week on Retail Pulse Check, industry experts Craig Patterson and Stephen O’Keefe discuss the current state of the Canadian retail landscape as the country slowly enters new phases of reopening.

Topics covered included the future of retail innovation in a post-COVID world, the importance of mitigating for a potential second wave, and emerging consumer trends — such as an increase in luxury spending — and the potential reasons why.

Patterson and O’Keefe also spoke about the intricacies of implementing regulated mask mandates for retailers and the disparities between Western and Eastern Canada when it comes to navigating the challenges associated with the ‘new normal’.

Speaker Details:

Craig Patterson, Founder, Editor-In-Chief @Retail Insider

Craig Patterson is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Canada’s most-read online retail industry news publication, Retail Insider. He is also a Director at the University of Alberta School of Retailing, as well as a research consultant at Retail Council of Canada. Craig has studied the Canadian retail landscape for over 25 years, and has also been involved with strategy pertaining to urban revitalization in several cities, as well as retail and shopping centre-related design. He is an industry consultant who also gives retail tours and and is a public speaker. He is a graduate of the University of Alberta and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree and Bachelor of Laws degree.

Stephen O’Keefe, Founder @Bottom Line Matters

Stephen O’Keefe is a 30 year veteran of the retail industry having worked with major brands such as Sears, Hudson’s Bay, and Walmart where he was Vice President of Loss Prevention and Risk Management. He founded Bottom Line Matters as a source for retailers of all sizes to draw upon his experience and expertise and deal with what matters – maximizing their bottom line. Stephen clients have included major retailers, BIAs, vendors as well as the Industry Association itself. He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for his work with the retail loss prevention community, sharing best practice to combat shrinkage and advocating for legislative changes to support retail business.

BC-Based Freshslice Pizza Plans Aggressive Cross-Canada Expansion

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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EXTERIOR SHOT OF FRESHSLICE PIZZA LOCATION IN CROSSIRON MILLS JUST OUTSIDE CALGARY. PHOTO: FRESHSLICE PIZZA

The unique Freshslice Pizza concept, with its base in British Columbia, is aggressively expanding its brand as it looks to grow across the country and the United States.

The company currently has 74 locations in British Columbia and one in Calgary with another Calgary location opening soon. The company has plans to open 120 locations across Alberta over the next 10 years and 200 in Ontario during that same period.

“As we grow across the country and expand into the United States, the choice of Alberta first, and specifically Calgary, strategically made the most sense. The economic climate, coupled with the marketing environment, is ideal for our brand. We know customers will love our multi-grain dough and low-fat mozzarella cheese. We offer a healthy product presented at a price that will offer Albertans an unparalleled value versus any competitor,” said Ray Russell, Founder and CEO of Freshslice Pizza.

The company opened its first location in 1999 on Davies Street in Vancouver. Anyone interested in becoming part of the Freshslice growth plans can contact albertafranchising@freshslice.com.

“We primarily operate in the quick service restaurant space. We feature pizzas but our business model is a little bit different than every other pizza chain in that we focus on quick service pizza by the slice,” said Tom Horler, Vice-President of Marketing and Legal Affairs. “So you come into a Freshslice location and there is a variety of different pizzas that are on display in a temperature controlled and humidified controlled display case.

EXTERIOR SHOT OF FRESHSLICE PIZZA IN VANCOUVER. PHOTO: FRESHSLICE PIZZA

“Depending on the time of day there could be six to eight pizzas on display which you can choose one, two or as many slices as you like. You can mix and match your own pizza and complement that with a beverage or dessert.”

Horler said about 70 percent of customers come into the restaurant and choose a slice or order a whole pizza which is cooked fresh for them. Delivery and pickup is about 30 percent.

“Our business model is quite different than the typical pizza restaurant where they focus primarily on delivery. We do both.”

Horler said the typical restaurant size is about 780 square feet with about four to 10 chairs for people.

“We’ve really fine-tuned our model and we’re ready to take off right across the country,” he said. “We’re focusing primarily with our first partner in Alberta and then from a corporate perspective we’re starting to expand in Ontario. We also plan on opening up Manitoba and Saskatchewan hopefully before the end of the year and then we’re going to head down south where we have plans to open up in Washington and in Oregon next year.”

FRESHSLICE PIZZA PLANS AGGRESSIVE CANADIAN EXPANSION FOR THE REMAINDER OF 2020

Four new locations will be added by the end of this year. The company expects to expand by 25 stores in 2020-21.

“I would say by 2022 we would add a total amount of new stores by 30,” he said.

Jamie Cooper, Vice-President, Ontario, said the company will expand to the Ontario market with its first store in September in Toronto. Cooper said the Ontario locations will be about 1,000 square feet with seating to accommodate 16 people.

He said the plan is to expand to 200 locations within 10 years in Ontario.

“We’ve got a value proposition that kicks the s..t out of our competition . . . Because we have a royalty structure, we don’t make any markup on any product outside of the dough that we sell. It allows us to put much more product onto the pizza at similar food costs to our competition. It’s a pretty disruptive model. It’s very value orientated to the market and we should thrive in both good and recessionary times,” said Cooper.

Horler said one of the aspects that allows the company to grow at a better clip than most is the fact it doesn’t charge royalties and it doesn’t charge advertising fees.

“So our retained earnings per retail dollar amount are significantly higher than our competition as a result. It provides more franchisees with a lower cost model all the way around. It drives better value than our competition can do at the consumer level. Significantly,” added Horler.

FRESHSLICE FOCUSED ON CALGARY FIRST WITH SECOND LOCATION COMING SOON

In the Calgary area, the first location opened earlier this year in the CrossIron Mills shopping centre in Rocky View County which is just north of the city limits. The second location will open this month in the East Village neighbourhood which is just behind Calgary’s City Hall in the downtown core. It will be part of the main retail level of the new 5th & 3rd mixed-used development.

“We are looking at a really aggressive approach over the next 10 years of about 120 locations,” said Lorna Edwards, Director of Development for Alberta. “This location that we’re opening up in the East Village will be part of that and it follows closely on our opening earlier this year at the CrossIron Mills mall.

“We chose a real premier location to launch the brand here in Alberta to really kind of showcase the strengths of the features. The East Village location is going to be followed by one additional one in Calgary that we’ll be announcing in the next couple of weeks. And we’ve just finalized on a location up in Edmonton.”

Street Food Concept ‘The Halal Guys’ Plans Aggressive Canadian Expansion

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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EXTERIOR VIEW OF THE HALAL GUYS IN TORONTO.

The Halal Guys is bringing its quintessential New York City street cart food experience to Western Canada for the first time.

THE HALAL GUYS IS COMING TO CALGARY

Franchisee Youssef El Sweify has signed a multi-unit franchise deal to bring at least five locations to the Calgary area – marking the concept’s fifth international deal and third in Canada, building on existing locations in Toronto. He plans to open the first location in the Fall.

The Halal Guys is the largest American Halal Street Food concept in the world. Founded in 1990 by Mohamed Abouelenein, Ahmed Elsaka, and Abdelbaset Elsayed, The Halal Guys is now franchising worldwide via a new fast casual/QSR restaurant format.

Ahmed Abouelenein, the company’s CEO, said there are 94 locations in the world currently with 200 in the development. In Canada, there are two operating in Toronto.

Abouelenein said the company has sold five units each in Alberta, Toronto, and Vancouver. The 15 units are under development.

“I think the Canadian market we can develop there at least from 50 to 100 units easily in the next 10 years,” he said.

He said each franchisee of the 15 is required to open one store a year.

“Canada is a very unique market when it comes to food. I know there are a lot of people that will love to eat our food there. In addition we have a lot of customers in the States that are from Canada that love our food and always ask us to bring our food to different parts of Canada.”

The Halal Guys became a well-known New York City brand largely via word-of-mouth thanks to Muslim cab drivers in the 90’s who appreciated delicious, fresh and well-priced American halal food.

“It was a very good valuable meal that was cheaper for our customers,” said Abouelenein. “We focused on our customers, focused on the food quality we serve to the customers. The popularity of the food cart grew a lot and we came to put our first corporate location around mid-2014 in New York City and we started introducing our same menu items that we serve at carts with additional side items.

“That’s how the brand started over the years. The customers loved the food, very unique brand. When the brand started, it was mainly focused on serving halal foods to Muslim cab drivers in the early 1990s because there was no halal food in the city at that time. And throughout the years the brand grew and the halal concept grew from only Muslim cab drivers to everyone and today 90 or 95 per cent of our customers are not Muslim. So the brand is everyone. It’s all about the food we serve to the customers. We take pride in serving the food and we’ll continue doing what we’re doing.”

Abouelenein said the company is extremely excited to enter the Canadian market.

The Alberta locations will include Calgary, Canmore, and Banff.

“The Halal Guys is a unique concept, and there is nothing like it in Canada. The demand for The Halal Guys is very strong here, and we are extremely excited to be opening in the greater Calgary area,” said franchisee owner Youssef El Sweify. “Our goal is to have the first restaurant open by Fall.”

The Halal Guys is partnered with Fransmart, the industry-leading franchise development company behind the explosive growth of brands like Five Guys Burgers & Fries and QDOBA Mexican Grill, as its exclusive franchise development partner to grow the brand. The concept is actively looking for experienced multi-unit foodservice operators to develop additional franchises in major markets across the United States and internationally.

The New York Post calls The Halal Guys “perhaps the city’s most famous open-air dining destination”. The Halal Guys is the #3 Most Yelped business in all of NYC, and as reported by Time Magazine, it is in the Top 10 Most Yelped businesses in the United States. Called “one of the longest-running and best-known food-cart businesses in New York City” by the New York Times, The Halal Guys was named Buzzfeed’s #1 Most Popular Food Truck for 2013, and was featured on Bloomberg Television and Fox News.

Retailers and Landlords in Canada Rethinking Space Amid COVID-19 Shift: CoStar

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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empty shop interior with shopping window

The COVID-19 pandemic with the resulting social distancing measures has had a dramatic impact on Canada’s retail industry creating a number of trends that are accelerating, reversing, or emerging.

Research by CoStar Group Canada said among the accelerating trends is the fact that since the start of the pandemic, more retailers are adopting ecommerce, downsizing to smaller and more efficient space, repurposing mall space for micro-fulfillment, and adding coffee bars or services to maximize their usage.

Additionally, iconic brands are facing hardships while essential retailers are better positioned to thrive. Retail bankruptcies are causing property managers to get creative with their space and repurposing retail space for other uses such as warehouses to support last-mile delivery.

E-COMMERCE IS BOOMING IN THE WAKE OF COVID-19

Roelof van Dijk, Director of Market Analytics, Canada at CoStar Group, said the biggest and most talked about trend these days is the boom in ecommerce as a result of the current pandemic.

“That’s taken off like wildfire,” he said. “It now equates to almost 10 percent of retail sales. The whole point there is when you’re stuck at home and still need to do some shopping that’s the avenue that people have taken. Adoption of that is just speeding up. Now that more and more people have used ecommerce they find they like the convenience.

“That goes hand in hand with the curbside pickup, the buy online pickup in store situation.”

DOWNSIZING IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY PROMINENT

He said the idea of showrooming and downsizing retail space is likely going to become even more prominent as we go forward.

“As more people adopt the ecommerce online avenue then you don’t need as large of a store to have all the inventory you once needed to have in the store. You can take a lot of that inventory into a more industrial type space if you want to do that,” said van Dijk.

“We’ve heard a lot of discussion about what to do with some of this retail space and we’ve seen some listings come up where they’re actually advertising it as industrial space. There was one that came up in Mississauga, an old Zellers/Target space and it’s part of a mall and it’s being offered as either retail or industrial space and there’s two separate rents depending on what the user decides to use it for.”

In the U.S., he said Amazon has expressed interest in some of the old department stores’ space. Or space could be used as curbside pickup or part of the last mile of the supply chain.

“For retail it comes down to the property manager and the retailers are going to have to get very creative in how they are using space,” added van Dijk. “You also see a lot of discussion about what to do in the parking lots. We’ve been talking about this for years in how to repurpose some of these parking lots that are underutilized.

“Vacancy is moving up. It was moving up prior to COVID but it’s definitely going to be moving up a lot faster as we go through the next year, two years.”

In terms of reversing trends, fitness centres, restaurants, and experiential retailers are struggling to reopen and are no longer primary drivers of new demand. Since migration patterns could change, suburban retail could gain traction. People are also now spending more on groceries than bars/restaurants.

Van Dijk said some of these reversing trends are temporary.

“When you look at what has happened in shopping malls specifically over the last 10 plus years, there’s been a big movement to experiential retail. A big movement to put in fitness centres, restaurants, that type of thing,” he said. “Those types of uses were driving traffic. It was that diversification play, get away from competing with ecommerce as ecommerce moves up the food chain.

“You’re starting to see obviously a bit of a reversal on that because these were tenants that were able to pay premium rent and now when their capacity is being reduced 50 percent, or even less than that, these are slow to reopen. Will they be able to remain afloat going forward if they’re only at 50 percent capacity?

“Until we get to the other side of this and we understand what this new normal is going to look like, these are going to be uses that are going to have a hard time expanding and not necessarily the easiest sell to put into your mall knowing that they might not be able to afford the rents they once were able to afford because of capacity issues and increased costs associated with cleaning and so forth.”

CUSTOMER’S PERCEPTION OF CLEANLINESS IS CRITICAL FOR SUCCESS

And in new trends, the perception of cleanliness is critical to make customers comfortable moving forward. Many are now activating outdoor areas, outdoor eating or curbside pickup, and changing layouts to drive future sales. Interestingly, health and safety and BOPIS (buy online and pick up in store) and curbside pickup may be an answer to solving last mile issues.

“Outdoor uses are key right now and a lot of municipalities have fast-tracked restaurants’ ability to open up patios and so forth and expand patios really to help get that going and keep some of these businesses afloat over the next few months,” said van Dijk. “Capitalizing on that outdoor space, capitalizing on those exterior door entrances, is key but come November you’re not going to be able to use those spaces as well as you have been for obvious reasons in Canada.

“The other part of it is the idea of cleanliness. It’s one thing to be clean and the other thing to really hit home the impression that you are taking cleanliness into account and people are going to be very conscious of that. They have been but even more so. There has to be that appearance of cleanliness. It’s critical to make the customer comfortable. Health and safety concerns are very important.”

He said drive thru demand will increase because many people are avoiding public transit. The trend has been for retailers in the past to put their stores in locations that are transit-oriented but now there is talk that the commuter pattern will change as a result of COVID. The question is what impact that will have on where retailers look to operate.

Social Media Chatter in Canada Indicates Retail as a Hot Discussion Topic Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

By
Jessica Finch
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THE TWITTER APP OPEN ON AN IPHONE.

Canadians have been COVID-19 ‘Tweeting’ over the past five months, and retail appears to be a hot topic amongst users. The COVID-19 Twitter conversation sees a new Tweet every 45 milliseconds globally and Canadians have been contributing to the pandemic discourse. Many are using the social media platform to discuss their rapidly-changing consumer habits. Others are using their reach to highlight the Canadian brands who have remained the industry’s backbone during this difficult time. 

PEOPLE ARE COMPARING CHANGING CONSUMER HABITS ON TWITTER

Recent data taken from Twitter showed that 68% of Canadians said their shopping habits will change post-COVID, with a clear trajectory towards ecommerce and online shopping.

Research showed that amongst the new habits cited most frequently on Twitter by Canadian consumers, physical visits to stores were on the decline and home delivery services were becoming increasingly more popular. People were also talking a lot about using self-service checkouts more frequently and wishing to spend limited time within stores, choosing to browse online going forward. 

In March — when Canada entered lockdown — Canadians were blowing up the platform with mentions of household items such as toilet paper, soap, and gloves. In correlation to this, the most-mentioned household brands at that time were Kleenex, Clorox, and Charmin, in that order.

In the dining sphere, data showed the Canadian Twitter conversation about food takeout and delivery had increased by +4x between January-May 2020 when compared to January-April 2019. Uber Eats and Door Dash fared most favourably on Twitter in terms of delivery services. 

CONSUMERS ARE SPOTLIGHTING RETAILERS WHO SHONE THROUGH THE COVID STORM

In addition to comparing consumer habits, Canadians are also flocking to Twitter to discuss their favourite retailers. Across the country brands have seen exponential growth in overall Twitter mentions since January. Engagement has been extremely high for particular Canadian retailers — such as Loblaws and Canadian Tire — and the data is showing prolific brand mention growth for many of the big box stores existing within the Canadian retail landscape. Brands that have fared well include:

  • Loblaws saw a brand mention growth of +145.27%

  • Walmart saw a brand mention growth of +65.28%

  • Costco saw a brand mention growth of 187.59%

  • Home Depot saw a brand mention growth of +166.98%

  • Canadian Tire saw a brand mention growth of +72.91%

  • McDonald’s saw a brand mention growth of +43.16%

In Ontario alone, growth mention increased immensely for the same brands. Data below shows the growth statistics:

  • Loblaws saw a brand mention growth in Ontario of 227.77%

  • Walmart saw a brand mention growth in Ontario of 64.09%

  • Costco saw a brand mention growth in Ontario of 318.54%

  • Home Depot saw a brand mention growth in Ontario of 218.45%

  • Canadian Tire saw a brand mention growth in Ontario of 15.36%

  • McDonald’s saw a brand mention growth in Ontario of 52.46%

Data generated from Twitter also showed that 84% of Canadians agree that brands should communicate with customers on initiatives being implemented in a time of crisis. And it would appear that brands are doing just that, with an overwhelming positive consensus emerging from the Twittersphere. Canadians are generally impressed with how retailers conducted themselves; feeling heard and appreciated during this time.

CANADIANS KEEPING TWITTER POSITIVE DURING TURBULENT TIMES

The positive dialogue on Twitter amongst Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic is somewhat opposing to the questionable reputation the social platform has been known to have. Many are quick to criticize Twitter — in comparison to other social media platforms — for its prevalence of inflammatory or combative discourse. The ‘cancel culture’ that is emerging from media outlets is rampant on Twitter, and a global pandemic is sure to heighten tensions. 

To date however, the ‘hero pay’ conversation is really the only controversial retail topic that appeared to trend during this time. Currently under fire for retracting the COVID wage increase, Canadian grocerants such as Loblaws, Metro, and Sobeys are navigating their first COVID-19 scandal. In saying that, thousands have also praised these grocery stores for their tireless efforts to keep Canadians equipped with essentials during this time. 

SCREENSHOT OF MOLSON CANADIAN TWEET ANNOUNCING ITS #MAKEITCANADIANBEER INITIATIVE. PHOTO: TWITTER

In recent weeks the #SupportLocal hashtag has emerged frequently — increasing by 60% in Canada from March to April— as Canadians encourage each other to support their local businesses. The month-over-month growth of the hashtag can be seen in some Canadian cities listed below. These numbers compare the total #SupportLocal mentions in April 2020 to the hashtag’s total mentions in March 2020:

  • Vancouver +98%

  • Calgary +29% 

  • Edmonton +56%

  • Ottawa +63%

Molson Canadian has taken this unexpected opportunity to spotlight smaller Canadian-founded brewers on Canada Day with the hashtag initiative #MakeitCanadianBeer. The iconic Canadian beer brand has created “the most Canadian case of beer ever” by replacing their traditional cases of Molson beer with local partner breweries from across the country. In an attempt to support and leverage smaller Canadian breweries, Molson is giving people the opportunity to build their own case of beer by selecting brands from participating brewers in their local area. Molson used Twitter to garner attention and Canadians were more than happy to disseminate the good news across the platform. 

  • SCREENSHOTS OF NO NAME BRAND TWEETS DURING COVID-19. PHOTOS: TWITTER
  • SCREENSHOTS OF NO NAME BRAND TWEETS DURING COVID-19. PHOTOS: TWITTER

Another brand using Twitter to connect to its customers during this time is Canada’s iconic Loblaws No Name Brand. Taking a humorous stance on aspects of lockdown everyone is struggling with, the brand has been applying its famous yellow background and minimalistic black letter to create fake “haircutting guides” and “zoom backgrounds”. The posts receive great traction, with humorous and positive conversation ensuing amongst Twitter users. 

Molson Canadian and No Name Brand then went on to have an unexpected back-and-forth banter about their COVID-related initiatives. The general Twitter discourse appears to have remained overwhelmingly positive and highly interactive during this unprecedented time. Certainly generating some much needed buoyancy during this heavy time. 

SCREENSHOT OF MOLSON CANADIAN AND NO NAME BRAND TWEETING ONE ANOTHER. PHOTO: TWITTER
SCREENSHOT OF MOLSON CANADIAN AND NO NAME BRAND TWEETING ONE ANOTHER. PHOTO: TWITTER

It’s been really great to see such positivity within the Twitter community, especially during such a difficult time,” said Twitter Canada’s Head of CPG, Retail and Dining, Karen Zuccala. The outpouring of support from both consumers and businesses is obvious. People are supporting their local businesses and bigger brands are spotlighting the smaller ones. Twitter, when used correctly, is a safe space for people to engage and interact with each other and the brands and retailers they love the most.”

Free Web Accessibility Tools Don’t Deliver on Their Promises for Online Sellers

By
Retail Insider
-
PEOPLE WORKING ON ECOMMERCE BUSINESS.

By Ralph Tkatchuk

The world of eCommerce is cut-throat, crowded, and competitive. You need to do all you can to win over more customers, and there’s only so far that you can slash your prices. Web accessibility in Canada and beyond is fast becoming an important advantage for eCommerce sellers who want to increase revenue and avoid costly lawsuits. 

Consumers with disabilities make up a significant slice of your potential customers, with working-age people with disabilities possessing $490 billion in after-tax disposable income in the US, roughly the same as the African-American market. The disabled are also more likely to shop online, to avoid crowds that shove and push them aside, shop assistants who ignore them, and overwhelming lights and noise, but if your online store is one of the 98% that don’t meet WCAG 2.0 accessibility requirements, you’re pushing them all away.

COVID-19 only sharpened the problem. Many elderly people had never bought anything online before the coronavirus arrived, but then they had to try to understand confusing online instructions, unclear purchase processes, and non-intuitive website hierarchies alone, because lockdown meant that no one could come round to assist them. Bear in mind that people aged over 65 are significantly more likely to have a disability than younger shoppers. 

All we need to add is the fact that ADA title III accessibility lawsuits are rising against eCommerce sites and cost an average of $20,000 to settle out of court. 

With so many good reasons to run an accessible store, what is holding online vendors back? 

The enormity of the task (or so they believe).

Online sellers struggle to achieve full web accessibility. 

Full web accessibility is easy to say but much harder to achieve. It demands that you make multiple changes to your source code so that you can:

  • Enable anyone who can’t use a mouse, for any reason, to navigate the entire site using only the keyboard, including popups and forms;

  • Simplify the language and the purchase journey so that shoppers with cognitive decline or cognitive difficulties can choose their products and complete their transactions;

  • Support the screen readers used by blind people to browse the internet, including coding links, icons, and buttons correctly;

  • Adapting the colour, size, spacing, font, and contrast ratio of the text, enlarging the cursor and clickable fields, and addressing other usability issues;

  • Stopping all animations and flashing gifs that could provoke a dangerous seizure in anyone with photo-sensitive epilepsy.

Most eCommerce vendors and site owners don’t have the tech know-how to carry out these changes, and/or are using a marketplace that doesn’t support full web accessibility. Accessibility service providers have the expertise to identify and correct accessibility issues but their services are expensive and can take weeks to complete. 

It’s no wonder that vast numbers of online sellers are tempted by free accessibility plugins, but do they deliver on their promises? Unfortunately, the answer is No.

Free accessibility plugins are a mirage

Free and low-cost plugins like WP Accessibility and UserWay claim to fix accessibility issues on websites and online stores, but this is very far from the truth. 

To begin with the positives, free accessibility plugins succeed in correcting most usability issues. They mostly generate an accessibility widget that allows the user to adjust the colour and contrast ratio; change the spacing and size of texts; and enlarge the cursor and the clickable field for buttons. Some of them can also adapt text alignment and fonts. 

Although these are all useful adjustments that improve matters for visitors with low vision or colour-blindness, they don’t add up to full accessibility. Abut 80% of accessibility issues concern support for screen readers and keyboard navigability, so free plugins only fix 20% of your online store. 

Keyboard navigation is crucial for millions of users who have amputated limbs, arthritis, motor disorders, or muscle weakness, and for able-bodied consumers with a broken arm or even a broken mouse. Although many plugins help support keyboard-only navigation, like creating a visible focus around web elements, none of them can cope with online forms, popups, dropdown menus, or clickable links and buttons. 

That means that a visitor with disabilities may make it all the way to the payment page, but then be unable to complete a transaction because they can’t fill in the fields on your payment form without a mouse. 

None of these free plugins support screen readers, either. One claims to provide alt tags, but that’s not enough. Another sidesteps the issue by providing its own screen reader, but it isn’t one that’s used by the majority of the blind community. There isn’t a single free plugin that delivers the role building, ARIA attributes, image alt tags, and navigational support that blind consumers need for their screen readers, effectively cutting them all off from your site. 

On top of all that, you won’t find a free plugin that can simplify bewildering jargon or make sense out of confusing website structures to guide shoppers with cognitive impairments through your site. Nor do any of them stop animations and flashing gifs. 

Free web accessibility plugins will cost online sellers a lot of money.

Web accessibility is fast becoming non-negotiable for eCommerce sellers, but the free plugins that promise to help them achieve it are nothing but a mirage.

The bottomline verdict is that plugins like Userway and WP Accessibility aren’t able to meet the many complex requirements for WCAG 2.0 accessibility compliance, leaving frustrated consumers to find a different store and online sellers vulnerable to accessibility lawsuits. 

The solution? Use comprehensive web accessibility solutions like accessiBe or Level Access that actually deliver fully ADA complaint websites. True, they won’t be free, but your website will be accessible.

Ralph Tkatchuk

Ralph Tkatchuk is a freelance data security consultant and expert with over 9 years of field experience working with clients of various sizes and niches. He is all about helping companies and individuals safeguard their data against malicious online abuse and fraud. His current specialty is in eCommerce data protection and prevention. You can reach Ralph via Twitter (https://twitter.com/TkatchukRalph).

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