THERE is no denying shopping habits have changed for many Sunraysia residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
No one knows this better than Mildura’s Scott Hopkins, who works for Sunraysia Institute of TAFE as a certificate II retail teacher but has a side hustle as an independent PartyLite consultant.
Mr Hopkins said it was interesting to see how the retail landscape was changing, with many people now shopping online and many local businesses developing a stronger online presence.
Mr Hopkins admitted his side business — which supplies candles, melts, fragrance sticks and other accessories — had taken a hit during the pandemic but it was something he was not too concerned about.
“I know that once everything gets back to normal people are still going to want to buy from me,” he said.
Mr Hopkins said since restrictions came into effect he could hold no face-to-face parties to demonstrate PartyLite products.
Instead, he has used Facebook Live and Zoom to engage customers but admits this does not have the same impact.
“I think when everything gets back to normal we’ll see a lot more parties,” he said.
Mr Hopkins is aware that people are now prioritising spending differently thanks to job cuts and reduced hours.
“Spending, I’ve found, has definitely slowed a little bit and people are buying the ‘need’ products rather than the ‘want’ products,” he said.
Other businesses are thriving during the pandemic.
The Riverland’s Megan Schultz is a Pure Romance consultant and used to come to Mildura twice a week to hold parties.
Border and gathering restrictions means she cannot come to Mildura but she has steadily increased her online presence.
Pure Romance, which markets adult products, started as a side hustle for Ms Schultz but became so much fun she decided to make it her full-time job.
At the beginning of the pandemic she was concerned she would not be able to continue as a Pure Romance consultant but has since found she has a broader reach thanks to the internet.
Ms Schultz said she was hosting online parties for customers in Mildura, Adelaide, Swan Hill plus New South Wales and the Northern Territory.
“I’ve got a huge array of clientele because of this,” she said.
“This is going to change how I do things going forward.”
