COVID-19 impact: School stationery and book shops adopting the 'new normal'

COVID-19 impact: School stationery and book shops adopting the 'new normal'

Pune: Changing nature of educational resources and materials and increasing use of mobiles, tablets by children have changed the entire stationery and books business scenario. On top of it, lockdown restrictions have matters worse as customers are not coming to the shops, thereby limiting the showcasing options. Most of the customers are checking and surfing online, but prefer to buy the products, books from regular shops only. Traders have also adapted to this new normal and started taking orders either through online or phone and delivering it through courier.

Even though the relaxations given in the lockdown has started a trickle of customers, the customer experience has changed considerably. Most of the traders in Appa Balwant Chowk area have taken appropriate measures to ward off the coronavirus-threat.

Dilip Kumbhojkar of Stationery, Cutlery, General Merchant Association said, "Mostly educational institutes are procuring school books, notebooks and other educational materials. Lockdown has forced customers to postpone shopping for other items and that has had an adverse effect on traders. The traditional businesses are undergoing a change due to online education becoming the new normal."

Omkar Joshi of Verma Book Depo said, "Parents have started ordering school books. Mostly these orders are from non-containment zones and are sent through couriers. We are getting most customers from the core city area and very few from other cities. Inquiries from out of city area are limited to only books which are not easily available there. We are taking utmost precautions to prevent any spread of coronavirus from our shops."

BUSINESS POST-LOCKDOWN:

  • Shopping done with following norms of using sanitiser, thermometer and social distancing
  • Since schools have started online, only selected books, notebooks and other educational material in demand 
  • Online ordering of books and material preferred by customers
  • Limitations on displaying a variety of items to customers
  • Limited business hours
  • Focus on sale of school educational material

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