Marketing

COVID-19 vaccine bodes well for a retail recovery

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January 25, 2021

Top U.S. retailers view the COVID-19 vaccine as a key part of retail recovery in 2021 and a good number of big retailers are optimistic about the industry this year, according to Emarsys research.

Nearly one in five of retailers polled, 19%, said 2021 will be a much better year for business thanks to vaccine rollouts, according to a press release on the data findings.

While a fifth of large U.S. retailers expect significant business challenges even with the vaccine rollout, one in five are less fearful of doing things differently in 2021, and 19% will invest more in fulfillment and supply chains this year.

"2020 was clearly a very challenging year for the retail industry across the world, but as our research shows, there are plenty of reasons to be positive about the outlook for 2021," Alex Timlin, SVP verticals at Emarsys, said in the release.

"One of the reasons why 2021 will be more positive is that during 2020, retailers have collected far more data on customer behavior and product preference thanks to the rise in e-commerce. 2021, therefore, will be about how retailers use those new insights to inform their marketing strategy, product portfolio and tactical marketing execution. That's important because it will help retailers personalize far more effectively, which is the foundation of a winning customer experience," Timlin said.