'We're Truly Anywhere': Massachusetts Retailers Move To Online Sales May Last Beyond Pandemic
BOSTON (CBS) - Greer and Michael Missouri opened candy store Sukker and Sweet in October 2019.
"We had 200 self serve bins of candy imported from all over the world," said Greer.
Shortly after opening, they realized the pandemic would require them to make some changes, so they turned to packaging and wholesale. Soon, they discovered they were able to reach a larger customer base.
"We're truly anywhere from Maine to Alaska now," said Michael.
But Greer added, "What we have lacked in foot traffic, we know it will be a slow climb back to normalcy, we've made up for in having our products now be available online and with other retailers."
According to Jon Hurst, President of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, moving to online sales is one of the year's biggest trends.
"As of a year ago at Christmas, only 25 percent of our members were selling online at all. That jumped up to 50 percent this season," he said.
According to Hurst, RMA has roughly 4,000 members in the state.
"Those that have been able to evolve, I think are going to come out of this very well," Hurst said.
Alana Stein is the General Manager of The Street Chestnut Hill, an open air shopping and dining destination in Chestnut Hill.
"We've been seeing check averages are so much higher than they used to be with online ordering and being able to order from your mobile phone and pickup in store," said Stein.
In Massachusetts, indoor retail spaces are currently allowed to operate at 50 percent capacity, with many adapting to meet consumer needs.
"We do free local delivery, online pickups, we put together gifts. Anything to make the shopping experience easier for our guests," said Greer.
"You're going to see a lot of economic growth, you're going to see a lot of spending," said Hurst, adding, "We're expecting, frankly, a very good summer of 2021."