Expect queues as you might need to wait a little longer before entering a shop. Malls and supermarket chains such as FairPrice have already implemented mandatory temperature-taking for customers. SafeEntry checks might be the new norm as well, with customers required to check-in digitally with their particulars.

The same goes for the luxury sector. A Chanel Singapore spokesperson told Channel NewsAsia (CNA) that “the SafeEntry digital system will be deployed across all boutiques to facilitate contact tracing of all clients and employees”.

ION Orchard will implement SafeEntryNRIC and SafeEntry QR Code to facilitate the collection of visitor information for contact tracing. Before you’ll be allowed to enter, your temperature will have to be taken at all entry points.

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No more swatching in Sephora or taking free food. To prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses, commonly shared items like product testers and food samples will be completely removed. Items like skin-care, make-up, health drinks and health products are no longer available for trying. Your browsing time in store might also be reduced due to crowd control measures, so that other customers can enter. Make sure you know an item well before you purchase it!

Beauty salons that offer complimentary food and beverage are no longer allowed to do so. Other shared items such as newspapers and magazines will be removed. Seems like you will have to sort out your own entertainment while you’re there.

To maintain social distancing measures, some stores might also implement crowd control and put a cap on the number of customers let in at any one time.

Danny Lim, senior general manager of Robinson & Co, said in a video interview with CNA that in preparation for reopening, there will be one entrance and one exit for all stores, with staff counting the number of customers who come through.

The department store will also regulate the number of people allowed at different levels of the store. All customers are still expected to maintain a minimum safe distance of one metre from each other. Say goodbye to mall atrium sales as activities and events in stores or mall atriums are not allowed. Common play areas where you can drop off your child before you go shopping will remain closed, so be prepared!

Home furniture store Ikea is also limiting the number of customers to one person per 10 sq m of gross floor area. Their restaurants, bistros and food market will remain closed for now, so you’ll have to wait a little longer for those Swedish meatballs (or make some with our meatball recipe!).

Instead of friendly smiles and greetings of “Hi, may I help you?”, customers may be greeted instead by employees wearing masks, asking, “May I refresh your hands?”. This was the case at the Hermes flagship store in Paris when the city emerged from lockdown.

For instance, ION Orchard is maintaining ramped up sanitisation efforts – certified antimicrobial barrier treatments commonly used for aircraft cabins are applied onto high-touch surfaces in common areas, which form an invisible non-toxic, bio-barrier coating to prevent the spread of bacteria.

Frequent touchpoints such as mall railings, escalators and lifts will be disinfected regularly. You can expect hand sanitiser dispensers at all entry points, lift lobbies and Concierge Counters. In addition, the mall has also recently introduced express priority queues at Concierge Counters for seniors, as well as expectant mothers.

Customers may not be able to touch or try items while browsing, due to additional safety precautions. According to CNA, items at all Chanel boutiques in Singapore will be “quarantined for 24 hours after being tried on”.

In a press release, Under Armour President and CEO Patrik Frisk has also stated that fitting rooms will close temporarily when stores reopen. And while H&M stores in Germany will keep its changing rooms open, they are offering customers an extended return period for clothes, to discourage people from trying on clothes in-store.

In Singapore, some stores might still keep their fitting rooms open but the trying of clothing items are still discouraged. Once a garment has been tried on, it will have to be immediately disinfected. On the bright side, stores might make their return policies more flexible so you can easily make a return and get a refund if the item does not fit you.

Online shopping has seen a boost over the recent months with physical stores closed and lockdowns in place everywhere. It has since become the norm for people to pay with their cards or through contactless methods.

Puma stores in Berlin are encouraging customers to pay by card if possible and in Paris, Christian Dior has placed Plexiglas shields at counters, to reduce the handling of cash and limit physical contact between customers and employees.

To minimise Concierge Counter queues, ION Orchard is also encouraging shoppers to scan receipts through the ION Orchard mobile app. In this way, physical contact is minimised as much as possible.

While the government has announced that Phase 2 of Singapore’s reopening would allow for most retail stores to open, just as how air travel and hotel stays have been affected, it remains to be seen how our retail experience will change further.

Text: Trini Ng/AsiaOne, Melissa Heng/Straits Times, Tan Gin Yee