Despite the Covid-19 pandemic and the general community quarantine, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) recently announced that mall-wide Christmas sales would be allowed this year in an effort to boost consumer spending and help our limping economy recover. Even with the huge 11.11 and 12.12 sales of top e-commerce platforms Lazada and Shopee, retailers must prepare for the expected surge in spending at both brick-and-mortar stores and shopping websites as Christmas approaches. Filipinos will be scrambling to buy gifts for their friends and loved ones, as well as food, outfits and other needs for their festivities.

So how can retailers prepare for the shopping frenzy? Observing physical distancing guidelines, preparing the physical store layout and ensuring cybersecurity on e-commerce sites are the top concerns that involve heavy cooperation between retailers and their customers. Besides these, retailers should also identify the opportunities involved with huge demand.