A QUIRKY trader in Monmouth who is bucking the coronavirus trend for high street shops says she hopes her new idea can help transform the town centre.

Yvonne Perry, who owns Envee of Monmouth fashion store on Monnow Street, is tackling the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic through the use of QR barcodes.

Ms Perry’s QR codes for the most popular items in stock are stuck to the window, beside the products.

Once shoppers scan the product with their phones they are transported straight to a checkout page, where they can pay for the product and collect it from her click and collect point just yards away.

Ms Perry says she thinks she is the only trader providing the service in Monmouth, and wants to share it with the town to help traders overcome the challenges of the pandemic.

“I came up with the idea around a week ago,” she explained. “What I’d found was that Monmouth had become a mass of buildings and looked rather dull.

“I decided I had to do up my windows to help people understand my click and collect service – and to bring passers-by to me.

“I hear people outside and some of the comments have brought a tear to my eye. They know how hard I’ve worked to get through this, and I’m so grateful for their support.”

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The idea, which she hopes to continue long after the pandemic is over, has gone down a treat – and she’s having an unexpectedly busy January.

It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise though – given Envee has bucked the trend for months. Ms Perry has said her takings each month up to now have been similar to 2019.

And she is hopeful 2021 can be better, as we move out of the pandemic.

Asked what her secret is, Ms Perry – who is now in her fifteenth year on the high street, said: “There isn’t one. I think three-quarters of businesses have forgotten to treat customers with compassion, and many are now feeling sorry for themselves.

“But you can’t feel sorry for yourself and you need to be able to diversify.

“I think as the pandemic comes to an end we’ll see a real change in people’s habits, and I’m confident the high street can be better than before.”

Explaining more on the QR codes, she added: “The majority of shoppers now want instant gratification. They come to the shop to buy the product with little fuss. And I felt the codes were the perfect way to allow that to continue quite seamlessly.

“It’s been a promising start and I’m sure it can be a great success. I’m going to be sharing it as far as I can, because I really believe it will breathe life into our town again.”