b'By Jim and Bobbi Jeen Olson,WesternTradingPost.comO ver six months now into the COVID 19 pandemic of 2020 and weAnother factor I believe which has come into play over the last several continue to adapt. Is this the new normal? Or will things go backmonths is stimulus money. Most folks in the U.S. got at least $1,200 to normal when its all over? Who knows? One thing is for sure, thewhether they needed it or not. Many received much more in various forms pandemic has changed the way we go about our daily lives. How we shopof stimulus money. Of course, some were in great need and the money was for goods has been one of the major changes. used for surviving, but a whole bunch of others counted it as a windfall and promptly recirculated it on things they had wanted to do or buy.In March of this year, things were just starting to shut down. On March 14th, we held a live auction at Western Trading Post. There was a largeOther changes to the way goods are being purchased include things crowd of people in attendance and we joked about the possibilities of alike curbside pickup and home deliveries. Many businesses have had to shutdown and about how the coronavirus would not last long. Many wereadapt on the fly and implement services like this to stay open. The most laughing and joking about other parts of the country already shuttingsuccessful retailers at the moment are implementing various combinations November 1/30 Saturday Shootout Tournament down. However, over the next week, the country went into seriousof all the above.shutdown mode. By the last week of March, we knew it was no joke and the uncertainty of it all would be with us for a while. We held an internalWhat does this mean for those of us who are dealers and collectors? Ask 11/5 Thursday Western Dinner Theatre 1/30 Saturday Side by Side Series (Trail Outlaw) meeting and decided to make rapid changes. We basically shut our doors toyourself, do you think those billions of extra dollars being spent online public foot traffic and doubled down our efforts online. right now (instead of in-person) are just going to revert to the way it 11/7 Saturday Tour De Ranch Bike Race 1/30 Saturday Cowboy Rocky Mountain Oyster Fry was if this whole thing ends tomorrow? I dont think so. As a dealer, if 11/7 Saturday Chili Cook-Offand Family Night As it turned out, April and August of 2020 were two of the best months weyou havent already implemented some kind of online strategy into your have ever had for gross revenue. May, June, July, and September were alsobusinessstart. Start now. We realize some things are harder to sell via 11/12-13Thu & Fri Ben & Noel Haggard above average. We credit that to being prepared for online sales and fore-commerce than others, but everything can be advertised and presented adjusting quickly to that being our primary, modus operandi. Of course,online at the very least. 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Wetoo long.11/29-12/6Ropers Event 2/13 Saturday Side by Side Series (Trail Outlaw) find that items that are easy to ship are the better sellers online. AlthoughTwenty years ago, would you have thought JCPenny would be filing for folks will still buy fragile and difficult to ship items online, the lower endbankruptcy? If a retail giant like that, which had been in business since 2/20 Saturday Cattle Drive stuff in a given category does not do as well due to a higher shipping cost1902, can go down because they failed to adapt quickly enough to the relevant to the items value. We are becoming very selective with items thatmodern ageanyone can. Retailers must pay close attention to their December 2/25 Thursday Western Dinner Theatre do not ship easily unless they are the better kind of items for their class.customers, and these days, customers are finding it more convenient than 2/27 Saturday Cowboy Rocky Mountain Oyster Fry Some industries have had to adapt differently than others, but one thing isever to sit at home while browsing an even greater selection of products 12/8 Thursday Western Dinner Theatre certainweve all had to adapt. online than ever before.and Family Night12/10 Thursday Town of Wickenburg Holiday Party According to the U.S. Department of Commerce data, during the first sixAccording to the U.S. Department of Commerce 2/25-2/28 Cowgirl Weekend months of 2020, consumers spent $347.26 billion online with U.S. retailers, 12/12 Saturday Wickenburg Community Hospital which is up over 30% from $266.84 billion for the same period in 2019.data, during the first six months of 2020, Comparatively, e-commerce sales during the first half of 2019 grew byconsumers spent $347.26 billion online withSaturday Holiday Party March about 14% over the entire year of 2018. E-commerce has been growingU.S. retailers, which is up over 30% from $266.84 12/12 Las Damas afternoon Holiday Party steadily since the 2000s began. What is interesting, however, if you read thebillion for the same period in 2019. departments press release dated August 18, 2020, and do a little math, is in 12/17 Thursday Western Dinner Theatre 3/11 Thursday Western Dinner Theatre the first 6 months of 2020, online sales accomplished about 5 years worth of growth compared to what would have been expected had the pandemic 12/26 Saturday Cowboy Rocky Mountain Oyster Fry 3/13 Saturday Side by Side Series (Trail Outlaw) not hit. And remember, the first two months of the year were prettyand Family Night 3/25 Thursday Dinner Theatre much normal, so most of that growth occurred in a four-month period. E-commerce has exploded in a way no one could have predicted.12/31 Thursday New Years Eve 3/31 Saturday Nut FryAlthough there is much uncertainty in the economic markets, folks are spending more online than ever before. There are several reasons for this. January a ll of our events The first is its safer. Social distancing is definitely in play when ordering online. Convenience is another. Many stores make it plumb inconvenient to shop in person right now. Not that they arent doing what they believe is are held in ther eal right to help prevent COVID 19 from spreading, that is not the point. Its 1/7-1/11Cowgirl Weekend C ountryC orral just a lot of people find it both safer and more convenient to shop from the 1/14 Thursday Western Dinner Theatre safety of their homes.1/16 Saturday Bridal Expo W ed like to thank theW ebbAnother unintended side effect of shutting things down and having much C enter for their support&of the population staying home is, people tend to spend less. 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