TJ Maxx, Ross Stores, and Dollar General could struggle in post-pandemic world - Business Insider

In the short term, this has meant an immediate hit on sales but analysts say even as stores begin to reopen, it is the long-term impact of the pandemic that these retailers should be concerned about as it could result in a permanent change in how consumers shop.Some shoppers might be too scared to go back to stores and will switch to digital options for good, and the lack of any vaccine for COVID-19 means that there is a high chance of a second wave of infection, putting any store without a strong online presence at greater risk in the future. Potential customers have also diverted to competitors," and "given the risk of a second wave or even a future pandemic, many of them will likely review their e-commerce needs."Photos of lines outside TJ Maxx stores as they reopened in the US this week indicate that some shoppers are more than happy to resume their old shopping ways. For many of these stores, part of the appeal and the reason that they have been able to stave off the threat of Amazon and other e-commerce players for so long is that they offer a shopping experience that is hard to replicate online, which means their business model simply doesn't lend itself well to e-commerce. Gielens said these retailers really have two options: to double down on their competitive differentiation, i.e. not having an online store and work hard to keep giving customers a reason to visit (which would also mean making changes to make the shopping experience safer), or to invest in digital options and "reluctantly admit that they must approach it [retail] in a new and different way."Do you have a personal experience with the coronavirus you'd like to share?