Retail Excellence has warned that click and collect retail services must be reintroduced this week as an "absolute minimum" by the Government.
The organisation said there is no basis whatsoever to continue to deny retailers a timeline for the reopening of the industry.
Duncan Graham, Managing Director of Retail Excellence, said the Government needs to be realistic this week as its distinction between essential and non-essential retail is clearly not working.
Mr Graham said that click and collect services need to be reintroduced as an absolute minimum, and the retail sector needs to see a detailed plan for reopening.
"We cannot overstate the sense of despair among retailers at present. We should now be planning for a phased reopening of the industry rather than still pleading for a timeline that is well overdue," he added.
He also said that the reintroduction of click and collect would only be the first in a number of steps needed for retailers.
"There is no basis whatsoever to continue to deny retailers a timeline for the reopening of the industry.
"This is an industry that is utterly dependent on the need to plan for weeks and months ahead, so the Government needs to accept that and tailor its announcement accordingly," the Retail Excellence boss said.
