Many retailers in the United States adjust mask guidelines, and e-commerce may see growth again

More retailers are revising their mask requirements after the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) updated its recommendations.

The CDC announced last week that in light of the spread of the Delta variant, it now recommends that both vaccinated and unvaccinated people wear masks in public indoor spaces where there is large or high levels of coronavirus transmission.

Target said it will "continue to closely monitor CDC guidance." Starting August 3, it will require its team members to wear masks and "strongly recommend" all shoppers in areas designated by the CDC as having a substantial or high risk of transmission to wear masks.

Days before Target announced the requirement, Walmart had already required its employees in areas of the U.S. deemed high risk for transmission to wear masks — regardless of their vaccination status — and will encourage but not require shoppers to wear masks inside its stores.

Similar to Target and Walmart, Home Depot will require all employees, contractors and suppliers to wear masks indoors in all Home Depot stores, distribution centers, office locations, and customers' homes or businesses in the United States, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated. The home improvement retailer said they will also require customers to wear masks in stores and continue to provide masks to customers who do not have them.

However, so far, except for Apple, no retailer has required employees and customers to wear masks. With the spread of the Delta variant, it is not ruled out that the CDC and retailers will resume forcing customers to wear masks and limit the flow of traffic in shopping malls.

With physical stores restricted, consumers may choose to return to online shopping again. In fact, in some areas that have restored strict measures, such as Australia, e-commerce has seen growth again. Due to the impact of lockdown measures, its online sales rebounded again after "stagnation" in May 2021, with online sales increasing by 7.6% in June.

In addition, the demand for epidemic prevention items such as masks is likely to increase again.

However, the development of the epidemic does not mean all good news for sellers. In the event of a rebound in the epidemic, supply chains and logistics will also be affected. In areas where the epidemic is severe, some factories will face shutdowns, and ports will also take restrictive measures, causing congestion, especially in the second half of the year, which is the traditional peak season for cross-border e-commerce and shipping, and freight rates may increase again.

In short, facing this raging epidemic, sellers still need to be prepared for both scenarios, and most importantly, protect themselves.

American e-commerce

Walmart

US Retail