"The coronavirus outbreak is not only impacting consumer shopping patterns, reports Chain Store Age. Retailers across the board, have upped their store cleaning regiments and taken other precautionary measures to protect shoppers and employees from the coronavirus outbreak."

"New from ServiceChannel details the uptick in select facilities services by retail category so far in 2020 versus 2019 and 2018. Here are some insights:

• Luxury retailers have seen an 84% increase of 84% in janitorial cleaning and carpet (shampooing) cleaning;
• Big-​box retailers have seen a 35% increase in HVAC air filter cleanings and janitorial work orders;
• Grocery stores have seen an increase of 18% in janitorial cleaning;
• All types of restaurants (QSR, full-​service, etc.) have sees an average increase of 53% in cleaning, primarily in janitorial and kitchen; and
• Health care-​related offices/​stores (e.g. offices) have an increase of 66% in janitorial work orders."

“'While foot traffic dropoff to stores is a big concern for brands, a big question is how they can mitigate consumer fear,' said Tom Buiocchi, CEO, ServiceChannel. 'One way is by ensuring consumers that they are taking health and safety seriously by taking the proactive steps of deep cleaning their stores or increased cleaning schedules. It’s not just an aesthetic issue anymore, it’s a step in rebuilding consumer trust.'"

“'Where consumers see cleanliness being handled proactively and effectively is where consumers will be putting their trust and shopping,' Buiocchi said."

Small Business Owners are feeling a lot of pressure with the virus outbreak, but cleaning services could be the boost they need to keep customer traffic up. Last year, according to AudienceSCAN, Small Business Owners took action after receiving direct mail ads, seeing TV commercials and seeing sponsored search results.

AudienceSCAN data is available for your applications and dashboards through the SalesFuel API. In addition, AdMall contains industry profiles on department stores and supermarkets/​grocery 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.