Shopping as it once was is no longer. Major retailers like Macy’s, Sephora, Nike, Apple, Ulta, Adidas, and many others have shuttered for an indefinite amount of time, in an attempt to curb the spread of covid-19. Only drugstores and grocery stores remain open. But shopping, like yoga, happy hours, and work meetings, are now activities for home, temporarily changing the landscape and sending brands into a minor tailspin on how to adjust. It is imperative to their survival to urge people to spend money, but to reframe that directive as another means of taking care of yourself, because they care about you, and also, your money.
Small businesses that were merely surviving before covid-19 might not bounce back once shelter-in-place restrictions lift and people are allowed to leave their homes. But larger brands and corporations must do something to ensure the safety of their bottom line. Figuring out how to quiet the jangled nerves of consumers who are itching for some sort of normalcy is a delicate dance; striking the right tone in an email about exercising both self-care and consumerism is tricky. The emails collected below are similar in tone to the way employers will cast themselves as members of a family; retailers want you to know that they really care.
Watching the retail industry responds to a global pandemic while everyday Americans figure out how to adjust their lives to a new reality has been fascinating and horrifying in equal measure. As we sit in our homes attempting to work, to parent, to caretake, and to live, email inboxes are flooded with missives from every possible retailer assuring consumers that even though the world is a scary place right now, they are here for you. Keep buying, the messages implore.
Anthropologie has not been affected by the virus, but would like you to know that if you want to stop looking at Twitter, they’re here for you.
