E-commerce companies take initiatives for safer online shopping as social distancing grows

As fear of the COVID-19 pandemic spreads, businesses are struggling with economic uncertainty.

Following recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO), people, in general, have disconnected from their daily routines to practice social distancing, leaving businesses with no way to reach consumers.

But where do e-commerce platforms stand?

Globally, countries have witnessed reduced visits to offline retail stores with consumers only venturing out if absolutely necessary. In countries like France, Italy or Spain, where strict quarantine has already been enforced, people are not able to leave their houses without official certificates and are turning toward e-commerce to meet their basic needs. In Myanmar, similar consumer behaviors toward online shopping have been observed for the past few days.

Shop, Myanmar's leading online marketplace, is taking steps to ensure that customers have access to basic commodities such as rice, flour, noodles, soaps, sanitisers, sugar, tea, coffee, canned goods, surface cleaners, diapers, hand washes, baby formula and nutrition supplements.

The platform is also taking measures to minimise the potential of price hikes and has promised to take steps to prevent sellers on their platform from taking unfair advantage of this global crisis while making sure all sellers are provided necessary support to keep their businesses running.

Additionally, Shop is making sure that employees, and even its logistics partners, adhere to the strict protective measures recommended by the WHO.

Ensuring the health and well-being of its entire community - delivery agents, customers, sellers and users across Myanmar - is the Shop’s prime concern.

At Shop’s warehouses, hubs and offices, colleagues have been told to refrain from physical contact. The protocol is simple: maintain as much distance as possible from each other at all times and wash hands frequently and thoroughly.

All employees and delivery agents adhere to the strict protective measures recommended by the WHO. The temperature of all employees at the warehouse and all members of the logistics team is checked mandatory two times a day. Additionally, work-from-home has become a norm for most employees, while Shop’s Delivery Heros operate on a rotating A/B schedule, wear protective masks and carry hand sanitiser to ensure safe exchanges with sellers, customers, and fellow employees.

“It is our primary responsibility right now to ensure that our employees, delivery agents, and customers remain safe. We anticipate an uptick in demand and have taken steps to ensure that we are equipped to serve the needs of our customers. At the same time, it is our social responsibility to help prevent the spread of the virus and therefore, the strictest standards of hygiene are being enforced at our facilities,” said Frans Maas, managing director of Shop.com.mm.

As the country moves towards social distancing, Shop feels that e-commerce platforms have an obligation to enable sellers, whose retail outlets are struggling, and to safely deliver essential goods to customers all over Myanmar.

With this responsibility, strict protocols and contingency plans are needed to mitigate the spread of the virus, and Shop plans to rise to the need of the hour.

(The Myanmar Times: https://www.mmtimes.com/news/social-distancing-grows-e-commerce-companies-take-initiatives-safer-online-shopping.html )

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