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

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

<<:  Sign up and get $10, Amazon's promotion of hand-swipe payment continues to be questioned

>>:  U.S. e-commerce sales will continue to grow during the shopping season, reaching $206.88 billion

Recommend

64% of Main Street businesses in the U.S. will see sales growth

Although the latest variant of the new coronaviru...

Tik Tok has a new move! Allow customers to "buy now, pay later"

Tik Tok has never relaxed its pace of expansion i...

What is Imgur? Imgur Review, Features

Imgur is a free image sharing website founded in ...

What is Adsmarch? Adsmarch Review, Features

Adsmarch was founded in 2017 and is a startup com...

Sellers beware! Another common word has been trademarked

For cross-border sellers, the most important skil...

What is BoKu? BoKu Review, Features

BoKu enables a new era of digital commerce in a m...

What is Zhizi Technology? Zhizi Technology Review, Features

Zhizi Technology is a technology-based consulting ...

What is Potluck? Potluck Review, Features

Potluck is a store that specializes in making care...

Amazon launches resale platform in Australia

Amazon is stepping up its Australian business, la...

What is Qianhai Ledi? Qianhai Ledi Review, Features

Qianhai Letian is a service provider dedicated to...