Things were humming along quite nicely in 2019. The stock market was up, investors were making returns, and company profits were hitting record levels. The average American saw their net worth soar.
Then, thanks to a virus coming out of Wuhan province, China, the world started crashing down. Supply chains halted, populations stayed at home, and economic activity slowed.
The economic effects were profound. But perhaps even more damaging have been the social and psychological implications. Over the following months, some people will begin emerging back into society who haven’t left their homes in over a year. The ramifications of this still aren’t well understood.
Marketers, therefore, need to adapt to the new situation. Consumer behavior is changing. And so brands need to respond sensitively and strategically.
Market New “E-Services”
Thanks to the global pandemic, many companies are now offering services online. Commentators think that COVID-19 might have accelerated the transition to digital medicine by over a decade!
E-services, however, are more than a convenience. They’re also a way of making people feel safe. The average consumer probably doesn’t want to go to an in-person yoga class right now, but they will happily sign up for one online.
Local Outreach
Thanks to the various bans on international and domestic travel, local outreach is becoming increasingly critical. The near-total shut-down of the wider economy means that neighborhoods are once again becoming hubs in themselves. When people can’t take flight to far-flung destinations, all they have are the people around them.
Sites like https://www.action-mailing.com/ have been pushing local outreach in the form of direct mail for a long time. But it is only now, in the aftermath of the pandemic, that such strategies suddenly make a lot of sense. Customers want access to local services that they can access on foot, cycle or car.
Personal Health And Wellbeing
The pandemic seems to be causing a shift in how people treat themselves and their bodies. When all they did was work, their well-being took a backseat to their job. But since being at home all the time, many people are turning inwards, asking whether they should take better care of themselves.
Brands in all sectors, therefore, need to take this trend into account. Consumers aren’t always looking for quick-and-easy solutions. Sometimes they want a little resistance to help them grow stronger.
On a practical level, brands need to find ways to convince consumers that their premises are spotless and sparkling clean. That means using disinfectants on all surfaces and training employees in proper hygiene practices.
Digital Shopping Is The New Norm
According to data from https://www.mckinsey.com/, the rate of online shopping adoption jumped about five years during the pandemic, putting a massive strain on online sellers. But this trend, they argue, is likely to persist, now that consumers are getting increasingly used to the convenience and slightly lower prices.
This means that brands will need to sift through the wave of data and work out how their target audience is changing. It might not still be the same collection of people.
