The results of a recent survey released this week have found that four out of five people want small retailers exempt from closing shop during future lockdowns.
Thousands of small businesses have born the economic brunt of lockdowns and restrictions when COVID cases appeared in our cities.
New research reveals that a vast majority of Australians have not agreed with Government-mandated business closures and do not want businesses subject to them again should another lockdown occur.
Parcel delivery service CouriersPlease commissioned a survey of an independent panel of 1010 Australians to gauge consumer sentiment on Government-mandated business closures.
Nearly 77 per cent of those surveyed said it was unfair that big retailers deemed essential services could continue trading during last years’ pandemic-induced lockdowns while small retailers had to close.
Even with the one-person-per-4sqm rule put in place to limit close contact and to slow the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, some small retailers were forced to shut shop due to space limitations.
The findings reveal that nearly two-thirds of respondents thought this restriction was unnecessary to minimise the spread.
CouriersPlease also asked respondents if both small and big retailers should remain open in the event of future lockdowns.
Approximately 88 per cent of respondents agreed that all retailers should follow the same rules.
The recent seven-day lockdown in Melbourne saw many local businesses hit hard, with some business leaders forecasting it would cost them more than $1 billion.
Despite the Victorian Government providing a $250 million business support package – set to help 90,000 SME businesses and sole traders – CouriersPlease Chief Commercial Officer Paul Roper said consumers play a vital role in helping small retailers and small businesses recover.
“We know consumer confidence takes a hit each time a State goes into lockdown, which has a long-lasting impact on businesses. We’ve also seen many retailers over the past 12 months go under as a result of these restrictions, and consumers want to avoid this continuing,” he said.
“Despite SMEs receiving some Government support, I encourage shoppers to support and spend with the small players, now more than ever. Small purchases can have a huge positive impact on a small retailer, particularly if there are multiple shoppers getting behind them.
“Support for businesses can also go beyond spending – with the power of social media and online reviews, a social post or a positive review about the business can be very impactful. It’s important that as our economy recovers, we show our support for the micro and small players – those most affected – and help them get through this challenging period.”
Even so, Australia’s e-commerce sector is expected to maintain double-digit growth in the next few years due to the impact of COVID-19.
Food retailing up by 1.5 per cent led the rises in the retail sector last month, but this was offset by falls in Household goods (-1.0 per cent), and Clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing (-1.5 per cent) according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
In Victoria, coronavirus restrictions led to a fall of 1.5 per cent in the state with five of the six industries down.
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