Harnessing the digital world to protect against more real-world rules - comment

Customers of Morningside Gallery can take a virtual tour of the site. Picture: 360 Virtual Studios.

Michelle Milnes, director of 360 Virtual Studios, explains why Scottish firms need to develop more Covid-restrictions-resilient business models in case the “third wave” rolls back unlocking.

Now that almost all businesses have been able to reopen premises, Scotland’s recovery from the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic is on its way.

A recent KPMG report forecast that Scotland’s gross domestic product will grow by 6.4 per cent this year. But it also said the pace of our recovery is linked to how quickly we move along the Scottish Government's unlocking roadmap. So it’s vulnerable to the third wave of Covid-19 being driven by the Delta variant.

On June 4, Ewan Macdonald-Russell, head of policy and external affairs at the Scottish Retail Consortium, said: “Reopening alone has yet to prove a magic bullet for our hard-pressed retail industry… which remains unable to trade at capacity due to physical distancing and caps on the number of customers in stores.

360 Virtual Studios director Michelle Milnes. Picture: contributed.

“Without a rebound in footfall and increased demand, many retailers will struggle to make ends meet, placing a question mark over the viability of stores and jobs and the vitality of our retail destinations.”

‘Think more creatively’

Mr Macdonald-Russell called on the Scottish Government to “think more creatively… about how they might reignite consumer confidence, entice people back into our retail destinations, and kick-start demand.”

While government can help stimulate demand, it’s down to each business to market its offer effectively and operate in a way that still works during physical trading restrictions, which may have to return.