Alleviating retail woes during the holidays

CHRISTMAS is just around the corner. This is particularly true in the Philippines where the holiday spirit is already very much alive and felt come September. Months before Christmas, Filipinos start to put up Christmas trees and spruce up their homes with decorations. Malls and retailers add to the excitement by offering big sales that are often hard to pass up.

For the second straight year, however, the way the holidays are celebrated will again be changed. Covid-19 has indeed ushered a new reality. When the pandemic struck, businesses had to be more agile and forward-looking. Accelerating digital transformation and making work-from-home arrangements work went to the top of the business priorities list. Consumers shifted their gaze to e-commerce and digital platforms, which became a welcome development for companies engaged primarily in providing such services.