"As the days get longer, sunnier, and warmer, it’s no surprise that people are longing to head to the beach," says Consumer Reports. "Many beaches in the U.S. have been closed for the past month or longer, but recently, some stretches of coastline — including parts of Florida, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, and New Jersey — have reopened to the public." Beach safety is of great concern.

Just because some Americans want to take a trip to the beach as soon as quarantine ends doesn't mean they want to throw caution to the wind. They want to stay safe on their trips, and department stores can help them achieve their beach safety goals.

Just as with anywhere else during this time, consumers should always have a mask on them to wear when they need to get close to other beach goers. In addition, they should be sure to bring disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer just in case consumers or their family and friends touch something that many others have.

Additionally, "One potential route to infection is the possibility that saliva or mucus from an infected person might end up in the water where you’re swimming," says Consumer Reports. "Although there is no data on how long the virus can live in water, Gerba’s research shows that coronaviruses that cause the common cold can survive in fresh water for up to three days." To combat this threat to beach safety, everyone who plans to swim should have a pair of goggles to keep potential infectious water from getting into their eyes.

Americans should remember that, even though they're under a social distancing mandate, the sun is not. So, an important part of beach safety is to stock up on sunscreen and maybe even a wide-​brimmed hat or thin clothing to drape over their swimming suits while they're lounging on the beach.

Beach Vacationers are likely checking for open beaches and planning their trip online. While they're online, they can be targeted with ads for the essentials they may be forgetting. Last year, according to AudienceSCAN, these vacationers took action after seeing ads on social networks, sponsored search results and email ads. 

AudienceSCAN data is available for your applications and dashboards through the SalesFuel API. In addition, AdMall contains industry profiles on drug stores/​pharmacies and department stores, as well as lead lists at the local level. Media companies, sales reps and agencies can access this data with a subscription to AdMall from SalesFuel.