Adapting to Changing Consumer Behavior Post-COVID 19

With the rise of the COVID-19 crisis, social media marketing has been transformed. Now more than ever, it is crucial for brands and businesses to learn how to adapt to the changing consumer behavior that has followed this ongoing crisis. Whether you are a customer-facing business or have your business online, down below we highlight some strategies to help keep you up to date with new consumer behaviors.

1. Tips for Retailers and direct customer-facing businesses

In a customer-facing environment, it is especially important to maintain a safe environment that is highly hygienic. For example, in stores, adjusting the layout accordingly can allow for easier social distancing. Increasing ways to click-and-collect and other methods that avoid face-to-face contact as much as possible are also important.

Overall consumption has decreased, leading to a 15% drop in sales, and this should be reflected in the reduction of marketing spending as well. Avoiding face-to-face interaction is vital now, therefore it is important to shift focus to digital engagement when marketing. When transitioning focus to online methods, remember to provide first-class e-commerce and a seamless omnichannel experience that can win customer loyalty.

1. Understand the Changes in the Consumer Decision Journey

Companies need to be aware of the rise in e-commerce compared to other methods of purchasing goods and services. Out-of-home advertising has seen a decline following the COVID-19 crisis, yet with e-commerce, there has been a 17% increase in grocery spending and a surge in e-pharmacy.

Sources of entertainment have also moved from physical to digital (from cinema to streaming). In this way, it is important to adapt to this decrease shift from physical to digital services and a rise in e-commerce consumption.

2. Social Media Is Becoming Key

With increasing reliance on technology during the pandemic, online and social media marketing is becoming vital to keeping brands and businesses afloat. Focus on building a strong online presence that draws customers and traffic, sales and creates a reliable reputation for your company.

Adapting to the digital lifestyle also brings more opportunity, as, during this pandemic, more people have had to adapt to rely on technology. It is also predicted that there will be an increase in the number of people that are viewing social media content for information as a result of this surge in technology usage.

3. Take Advantage of Remote Working and Learning

Due to the ongoing pandemic, there have been 20 times more people working remotely. It has also been predicted that this will be an enduring feature of the COVID-19 crisis. It is therefore important that your company adapts to these conditions by keeping productivity up through using online video resources such as zoom to conduct meetings.

If your brand has the opportunity to provide remote learning, guides, courses or other helpful resources, your audience can benefit from this, as there has also been a surge in remote learning due to the ongoing crisis. Considering what the consumers want and need is important in creating brand loyalty and increasing overall customer trust in your company.

All these changes can be seen to be linked to shifts from physical to digital. Technology and online marketing are seen as increasingly important, so it is vital that your company and brand cater to this. Want to learn more about other strategies to tackle changing consumer behavior? Click here.