Opinion: A call for retail collaboration to feed the shielded during coronavirus

Now is not the time to look at what has happened, but what still needs to happen to assist as many people as possible who rely on retailers.

As one of the 1.5 million ‘shielding’ people in the UK and a retail analyst whose specialisms include online grocery, recent media coverage that 600,000 more people have been told by the NHS to register for support including online grocery deliveries has created even more fear and uncertainty.

“No checks are being made to see if shielding people actually need delivery boxes, leading to unnecessary waste”

By the end of today, the NHS has asked GPs to assess all their patients who they deem at risk, which could lead to even larger spike demand in online grocery demands.

I’ve spoken to various retailers’ online teams and I know the crisis has led to great strain on websites and contact centres, so surely, it’s now time for radical action?

Bold ambition

Some shielded customers have even resorted to visiting stores, which has in some cases made them contract coronavirus and perhaps pass it on to colleagues and customers.

There are nearly 3 million UK retail staff, and too many empty stores, and that must create opportunities for the retail industry to take a unified approach. Shielding consumers desperately hope so.

“The UK is and will remain the pioneer of online grocery and now it could truly show off its prowess”

Some who, like me, received the initial shielding letter from the government asking them to register for assistance are receiving delivery boxes. In many cases, these are too heavy for people to lift – and no checks are being made to see if people actually need them, leading to unnecessary waste.

China managed to feed its population that was isolated during the coronavirus outbreak and we should follow its lead and adopt similar approaches.

In the UK, we have more than 1,000 ‘department’ stores that could be turned into spoke fulfilment centres, using technological and fulfilment solutions and partners across the various online and on-demand grocery delivery services.

Desperate need

The UK is and will remain the pioneer of online grocery and now it could truly show off its prowess.

There would need to be trials by all the retailers, and a small test group would need to try things out first before upscaling operations.

Best practice and demand metrics have to be shared to work with the most up-to-date data that will help drive ranging and forecasting.

Unfortunately, due to infection control, plastic bags must be used. That doesn’t place the environment on the back burner but will save lives.

Effective data cleansing and allowing each shielded person to upload a picture of their NHS letter and nominate a carer or household member to avoid duplication for those who can’t use apps or technology are also necessary. The Royal Voluntary Society, which has more than 750,000 volunteers, could also help.

It is time for a single government database that would help control demand. Purchase limits have to remain, with twice-weekly maximum orders and one retailer of choice per customer. Dietary and similar requirements of shielded patients also need to be accounted for.

Ambitious? Yes. Challenging? Yes. But unprecedented times call for unprecedented ways of thinking and acting.

Retailers have done brilliant work since the outbreak began. Shielded and high-risk customers are hoping they can still do more – help is still desperately needed

• Michael Lieblich is a retail analyst