by dormakaba
The coronavirus has drastically changed the general public’s views and expectations about healthier environments in retail settings. Results from a survey of U.S. consumers found that 79% of those surveyed reported avoiding shopping centers and malls, and over two-thirds say they are avoiding shops, in general, earlier this year. Today’s retailers have expanded their assessment of all areas within the building to minimize unhealthy conditions.
According to an LPRC benchmarking survey, 91% of retailers surveyed have had reported cases of COVID-19 within their organization, most of which occurred in-store. Changing high contact access areas to touch-free is a great starting point for exemplifying your commitment to both employee and customer well-being, reducing your company’s risk and loss.
Transition to contact-free, barrier-free and user-friendly access entrances to:
- Minimize high-frequency touchpoints
- Reduce the spread of germs
- Improve safety
- Integrate crowd control with temperature scanners
Since moving to touch-free access is easy and budget-friendly, where can you reduce the risk? And, given all the access points in your store, how many upgrades should you consider?
- Main entrance, including touch-free turnstiles
- Employee entrance
- Elevator
- Dressing rooms
- Utility room
- Break room
- Offices
- Restrooms
- Corridors
- Side entrances
- Display cabinets
- Cashier station
Things to consider:
- Can security be increased while maintaining a healthy environment and reducing labor costs?
- What type of automatic door will work with our current setup: automatic sliding, swinging, low energy, automatic, or folding doors?
- Do turnstiles offer solutions that meet our needs?
- How can Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) locks support a healthier environment cost-effectively?
- Do I want a touch-free door with security functions, only allowing those with the right credentials to gain access?
- Do I need to do a complete install or modify my current entryways to be touch-free?
Touch-free access solutions exist to reduce touchpoints throughout a store and the spreading of germs by hand contact. Touch-free access solutions can be retrofitted or new installations and offer convenient, unimpeded access into your retail outlet.
From swing doors, to automatic and low energy revolving doors to touch-free switches to barrier-free washroom controllers and beyond, moving from touch to touch-free access solutions is a viable option for stores. In addition, antimicrobial finishes can inhibit the growth of bacteria and other microbes on the surface of door hardware. While never a substitute for good hygiene practices, they offer an added layer of continuous, 24/7 protection.
A new online facility audit tool, makes it easy to map all the current access types in your store (from mechanical locks to automatic doors) to give you a clear picture of your current situation—and a path toward your touch-free future.
Your audit results will include both short and long-term recommendations, plus the opportunity to submit your results to one of our touch-free experts for a more detailed consultation.
Now is the time to start transitioning to touch-free access.