Life beyond the pandemic
Build back better
- Vaccinations
- Family
- Economy
The world has been moving towards a more significant online reliance for many years so a lot of businesses would likely have had plans to do what they are now doing but ‘down the track’ in say 12 months, next financial year, or 3 years. What the pandemic did was force businesses to think outside the box by changing the question from why do we need an online presence, for example, to how quickly can we get this done?
Embrace e-commerce
Hands up if you turned to the internet to order food, groceries, clothes, homewares, sporting goods, and other products during COVID-19? You definitely weren’t alone. When shops closed their physical stores, they turned to e-commerce to try and keep sales ticking over, many for the first time. Similarly, many consumers, again some for the first time, also turned to online shopping to avoid crowded spaces or due to shop closures.
These habits are likely to continue beyond lockdowns as people realize the benefits to their lives. Their shopping choices are no longer limited to what’s available in their local area, and they don’t need to rush to a store before it closes. Instead, consumers have the option to shop when they have time, from businesses around the world, and have their purchases conveniently arrive at their door, sometimes without paying shipping costs. Businesses who don’t embrace this changing consumer behaviour will likely see a drop in customers.
The connected consumer
Prior to COVID-19, it’s fair to say there was a significant generational divide when it came to technical confidence and willingness to use it. Now, almost overnight, this divide has been eroded as many people who were reluctant to use technology before have been forced to learn it and have adopted it into their lives.
For many businesses, this change will likely increase their customer base as new consumers begin to interact with brands in ways that were previously considered the domain of younger generations. While this is positive, businesses may need to adjust their strategy to ensure they engage different generations. This will be particularly important for those who have previously focused only on younger generations with their marketing.
People want options
With people now realizing that they have options around how they interact with businesses, they will want to continue accessing them in ways that work best for them. Interactions such as telehealth appointments, video conferences, and click and collect services are all options that exploded when restrictions were introduced. People have now realized the advantages of these, adopted them into their lives and will want to keep them moving forward.
Removing these options and going back to ‘old’ ways when customers prefer something else will be a quick way to ensure they take their business elsewhere. Even if funding or other issues means you are unable to continue offering all the options you did during the pandemic, being open and flexible to customers preferences will be necessary for business growth.
