Mindful of the voids exposed during this period of crisis, these points of access make sure you have your essentials covered, safely of course.
Related: This Is How You Can Get Your Fashion And Beauty Shopping Fix While Following Protocol, Of Course
Remember the time when one could still freely while their time away along the aisles of the grocery, relishing the air-conditioned space of the mall, or scouring for deals on food and whatnot minus the pervading paranoia? Neither could we, because at this point, it is no longer hard to believe that the routine and the mundane is a thing of the past. With movements controlled and limited, there is an extra amount of consideration that gets accounted for each and every time we set foot outside the confines of our safe spaces at home. Liberties long gone or a challenge to freedom aside, heading out for the necessary and the essentials has evolved to become such a cause of care, especially since there still is no apparent end in sight to this global crisis that is only exacerbated locally.
Shopping behaviors, in all its forms, have since seen a significant shift in the pandemic, with the essentials subjected to planning ahead, shopping alone, following a strict set of social distancing guidelines, and a focusing on fresh and healthier options for food. In fact, with so much fear still hanging densely on the air, the local consumer market has since taken an affinity for the digital, the virtual, and the online–a far cry from what once was a general distrust for it in favor of the traditional and tangible. Warming up to the convenience and accessibility of purchasing essentials online, with brands, restaurants, and malls adapting their business to the digital landscape, it has now become a norm to migrate finances through cashless options, track orders on various apps, and to practice safety with anything delivered at respective doorsteps.
Mindful of the voids that now have to be filled in terms of customer service, many points of convenience have emerged in the pandemic. From standard deliveries to curbside pick-ups, the dependence for these safer and more assuring options has definitely risen, leaving so much room for innovation and development across market segments. Whether it be a better way to pick up produce, receive shopping and grocery deliveries, and score deals across distances, things are definitely not what they used to be. A far cry from what once was, these new ways to access what are essentials is truly indicative of the human ability to survive, which at this point, is the only choice we have, especially since truth be told, we only have each other to look out for.
SM STORE’S CALL TO DELIVER
From bringing to life the retro-nostalgic drive-in movie experience with Movies By The Bay and promoting health and environmental benefits by going bike-friendly across SM Malls, there is a whole lot more in store for you with the SM Store’s Call To Deliver service. Bridging the gap of online shopping and premium in-store customer service since April of this year, this commitment to the customer has since become available across all SM Stores nationwide, giving shoppers an ease to procuring essentials through the hotline number, #143SM (#14376). Your safety and certainty are of utmost importance with this premium service, because through this undertaking, you are provided your own personal shopper through Viber ordering, video call ordering, and virtual shopping, with multiple payment options made available for you. An end-to-end service, the SM Store’s Call To Deliver will be made available to you on your doorstep the next day after transaction or through an allotted curbside pick-up point.
“It feels good if someone can answer your questions and make some recommendations when you want to buy something. Knowing that there’s an existing physical store, gives me confidence that I’m making a legit transaction,” says Alex Gonzaga, the face and newest ambassador of SM Store’s Call To Deliver service. “It’s like you’re bringing SM Store inside your home. That’s how convenient it is.” From everyday essentials to other necessities, they’ve said this time and time again, but it definitely holds the most truth now—they’ve got it all for you—indeed.
AYALA MALLS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSISTANT (A.N.A.)
“We are always finding creative ways to provide more and more smart shopping solutions to our customers. This is the heart of our mission.If they can’t go to the mall, we will bring the mall to them,” begins Jennylle Tupaz, Ayala Malls President, which already saw a success in their earlier endeavor for BuyANI, a fresh produce market featuring the very best of what our local frontiers and farmer groups have to offer. From this conducive, safe shopping space, with well-curated offerings of fresh-from-farm organic vegetables and fruits along with dairy products, herbs, wines, coffee and other locally cultivated items for sale at DA-controlled prices, the Ayala Malls have since come up with another trailblazing concept for customers to access essentials within the mall virtually with a pool of personal shoppers who are tasked to do the rest. “With A.N.A. (Ayala Malls Neighborhood Assistant), our patrons can have easy access to products from our hundreds of mall merchants from the comfort of their homes. Our well-trained personal shoppers are there to ensure they get an easy, convenient, and worry-free shopping experience.”
Available across 25 Ayala Malls, A.N.A. can be found through your preferred mall’s Facebook page or Viber, where you can order your items through forms and Viber correspondence. After processing and paying for your essentials with a minimal shopping fee, you can then get your orders delivered straight to you or at the mall’s DriveBuy stations. “Our goal is to help consumers navigate this new normal with as much ease as possible. We feel strongly that this program can empower the consumers to still get their needs and wants without the worry,” says Jennylle Tupaz. “And we’re happy that with the A.N.A. initiative, we can give work to displaced personnel brought about by the pandemic.”
ZREWARDS BY ZEAL
Further challenged by the pandemic, it has become increasingly harder to access businesses as a consumer and vice versa. With the pandemic weighing heavier as each day passes, especially when it comes to finances, we have reached a point where we will take any deal and discount that comes our way. “We acknowledge the ever changing needs of our customers, especially under the new normal. Because of the pandemic, consumers and businesses alike have fewer opportunities to connect with one another. That is where we come in,” says Glenn Z. Estrella, Chief-Executive-Officer of ZRewards by Zeal. A win-win situation for entrepreneurs and the economic market, this platform functions as an intersection where benefits are reaped on both ends. Here, businesses have another platform to interface with customers, and the users can access a universe of amazing exclusive deals at their fingertips. “We envision ZRewards by Zeal as a source of discovery and delight for the consumers and a platform for merchants to reach out to their customers.”
The newest one-stop shop for rewards and more, ZRewards by Zeal has premium offers that are redeemable at your favorite online and physical stores. Embodying what it want to deliver, the access point to many essentials, from gastronomical delights from restaurants such as Barcino, Single Origin, Meat Depot, Las Flores, Rambla, Tomatito, La Lola Churreria, El Pollo Loco, Osteria Daniele, Watami, Modern Shanghai, and Texas Roadhouse, and Coldstone, to necessities from Unilever, The Smile Bar, Zalora, The Naturale Market, Breville, and Misso, you definitely can make the most out of your hard-earned and saved money–no strings attached.
