How COVID-19 Changed Our Business Model for the Better

By David Blue, VP and Co-founder of Blue Moon Estate Sales

When COVID-19 started to infiltrate the U.S, we were faced with the same questions so many businesses were forced to address: How do we keep our team and our customers safe? And how do we continue operating to meet demand? The answer that was never in our playbook was to change our whole business model. And we had to do it quickly.

We scrambled to launch a reservation-only system in order to limit foot traffic and ensure safeguards at our estate sales. We had no more than 10 shoppers at a time inside and this was well before the six-foot social distancing guidelines went public.

It went against all of the norms which dictated that the more customers a business could drum up, the better that business would perform. In fact, we took great pride in our huge crowds as the hallmark of a great franchise. Nevertheless, this was something we had to adopt in order to operate safely, and we were stunned to see it make our business and our bottom line even better.

Our customers enjoyed a more personal shopping experience and less time waiting to enter an estate sale. In return, our owners saw average sales increase too.

The lesson we took away that can benefit all businesses is this: Your single, most important goal should be to ensure a safe customer experience with your business.

We will continue to utilize the technology and sales benefits that these operational changes can foster across our growing network. And as the country reopens, many franchisees will offer the reservation system to keep people from congregating, to discourage crowds, and to make the customer experience more comfortable while making the business more profitable.

It’s not easy to pivot a business model at any time, and with the uncertainty and ever-changing nature of COVID-19, it’s even more of a challenge. Daily lives have forever been changed by this pandemic and it’s important to look for ways to innovate your business model to adapt to a “new normal” not just in the present moment, but for the long-term vision of the business as well. Perhaps it is these changes in response to a crisis, that can ultimately bring about a positive transformation for a business.

For more information on Blue Moon Estate Sales, visit www.bluemoonestatesales.com