Data Source
Just over one-third, or 35% of respondents say they’ll “shop almost completely online.” Meanwhile, 21% predict they’ll do an even mix of online and in-store shopping, while 18% will primarily shop online but go to stores when they’re convenient.
If you’ve built a strong brick-and-mortar brand, don’t panic. First of all, this is just one general consumer survey with a small pool of respondents. Additionally, aside from the respondents who plan to do a mix of online and in-store shopping, 21% of respondents plan to shop primarily or completely in physical stores after economies fully reopen. Had we asked about specific products or polled people in another country, the results might have been different.
While this is just one data point to think about, it’s worth noting because it shows that there will likely be a strong interest in online shopping — even when every physical store re-opens to full capacity.
So, how can you navigate changing future shopping behaviors? Whether you run or work for an online or physical business, here are a few tactics to embrace.
How to Reach Shoppers After Reopenings
- Launch or expand on your website.
Even if you can’t launch a robust online store yet, a basic website can allow potential customers to discover you online, learn more about your business, and find your contact information.
Once you have a basic website that explains what your brand does, how they can reach you, and where you’re located, you can continue to optimize it for audiences by adding:
- Pricing pages that explain the price range for each of your services or higher-priced products.
- Images or videos of your team providing a service, your store, new products people can find there, or customers who consent to be featured on your site.
- A few blog posts that give more information about your brand, topics related to your brand, or tips related to your industry. For example, if you sell construction products, your blogs could give people tips for simple fixes they can make at home without needing to hire a professional.
- A landing page or contact form where people can contact you for more information, a product demo, or to schedule a service.
- Consider adding online shopping or ordering options.
Not a tech-savvy web expert who can create their own online store quickly? That’s okay, If you’d like to explore selling products online, there are still tools that can help you,
During COVID-19, many online shopping platforms emerged to help brands sell products or services online. While many restaurants began to leverage delivery or pick-up order apps, small stores and boutiques could build stores with tools like Shopify, Facebook Shops, and Instagram Shops.
But, although having an online store might be a great idea, it does pose its challenges. For example, you’ll want to make sure your shipping and delivery strategy is ready for online orders so you don’t sell out if a product or service is very popular. You’ll also still need to spend some time putting product shots, descriptions, and your store’s basic design together.
If you’re not ready for an online store or service just yet and want to continue to vet the idea, you can keep reading for other tips that don’t require a full ecommerce experience. If you’re ready to launch your first online store, check out our Ultimate Guide to Ecommerce.
- Embrace online marketing.
Even if you don’t have an online store, you should still consider leveraging social media, review sites, and email marketing to spread the word about your business online.
If you’re completely new to the world of web marketing, a great place to start is by setting up a free Google My Business profile. This will allow your business’s name, address, details, website, and reviews to show up when people are looking for products or services you sell in your area.
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