‘We had to change or shut down’
Business operators have spoken about the way they were forced to reinvent themselves and shift operations online to survive as the pandemic dramatically shifted consumer habits.
Nearly a year since COVID-19 hit Malta, the “absolute majority” of businesses have invested to shift online and offer delivery services, according to Malta Chamber of SMEs chief executive Abigail Mamo.
While a level of eCommerce was in place, no business was really geared up to be able to cater for the full amount of customers to migrate online.
The majority of businesses have also added delivery services to serve a growing number of customers who resorted to shopping online.
“The absolute majority of businesses carried out these improvements and they aim to continue investing,” said Mamo.
Many businesses were forced to close down for weeks as part of restrictive measures that included the closure of all shops, except for non-essentials.
As people opted to stay indoors and resort to deliveries for fear of contracting the virus, businesses had to face the option – adapt or die. According to Mamo, the majority chose to fight – becoming more competitive on the digital front.
“We can now compete 100 per cent...