Impact of COVID-19 on Ecommerce – for Better or for Worse
By: Vanessa Anderson Posted on Mon, 06-04-2020
What can be worse than the beginning of the year 2020 cursed with COVID-19 pandemic? Our world is suffering in the hands of this pandemic.
Unfortunately, the virus outbreak has put the world at its feet and most countries are infected by it. The travel and tourism industry suffered the most putting a turnover rate to 1million! People all over the world are scared and maintaining a social distance from each other to lower the spread of the virus which leads offices to shut down, factories are closed, and people are now forced to work from home.
Cities are under the lockdown, even education institutions are also closed for the period. Pandemic has not only affected the local sales and businesses but it has a huge impact on the eCommerce business as well.
What fear COVID-19 has caused in the hearts of consumers?
The fear that that virus is spreading from one person to another is the ultimate reason businesses shut down. Similar to contamination, the virus can stay on a surface for a prolonged period; on a metal surface or any hard surface. So one can understand the reason why sales in stores decreased rapidly.
Contrary, online brands are still major players in sales. With the advantage of providing articles on a mere click, consumers find it better to order online and have the freedom to disinfect the item before taking it inside their homes.
The longer the lockdown remains intact the more benefit online businesses can earn as people will keep avoiding going out in public places. In places like China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Malaysia, etc. people are strictly prohibiting public gatherings (although now condition in china has taken a turn for good).
What happens in case things get worse?
According to one statistic, if the condition worsens, people will stop ordering online even! The idea of being infected because you got a delivery from your favorite online store is simply contagious in itself.
There are possible ways an online business can cope with coronavirus;
Guide consumers
There's no point in closing your eyes and duck your head in the sand like a pigeon. It won't resolve the conditions at hand. The best thing you can do is to make your consumers aware of the current scenarios. Since the outbreak, the delivery demand by online consumers has increased according to Amazon and FedEx. It ultimately causes delivery delays as online traffic has increased more than usual.
The current scenario may boost or delay your actionable services, so the best way to communicate the delivery crisis is to inform your consumer about the pending items or why there is possibility of delay in delivery. You can send automated emails or announce on social media forums to deliver the news so that all of your online users are aware of the situation.
Always have a plan B
Delivery movements are already restricted and some regions are under strict surveillance like Italy where several cases are devastating. It's important to have a plan B at hand if the situation gets worse.
Ask yourself how the situation is going to affect your online business or what are the numbers of potential loss you may have to face? So prepare yourself for any possible outcome. To stay at the top of your game, keep a close look at the stock for online sales and do prepare accordingly.
If there is a shortage of a particular item, inform your consumer right away in a polite manner. If you were about to launch a new product but got delayed due to lockdown, you can still launch it online and promote it.
Target monk audience
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to know that still there’s a large proportion of consumers who avoid online shopping. The idea of physical accessibility is far better than picking an item from a screen view. But desperate time calls for desperate measures.
Regardless of how much some consumer detests the idea of buying online, this is the safest chance they have for now. Who are these bewildered consumers? Generation X prefers to follow conventional ways of shopping. They do not rely on technology like their successors. However, the current situation may change their perspective about buying online products.
Email marketing is your best friend
Emails are a common practice that can be helpful if you send informative emails to customers about updates of your online store, any change in policy or even a tip or suggestion. Moreover, you can send just a simple notification email informing your subscribers that you are still operating online.
Sending an email in the current scenario will let the public know two things;
- You are still active online
- You are delivering items to the doorstep
It will boost the morale, and the customer can seek out items real quick if you send a promotional email offering coupons or discount offers! People love discounts and to get one under the pressure of the breakout will mean a world to them.
Provide incentives in the shape of blogs
People have time in their hands now that they are stuck at home. So why not create a blog to feed the reading pang for a nerdy customer. Share tips, guidelines or DIYs (or any other trending topic) that will keep you engage with the customer. Ecommerce is not always about selling products.
You can help people understand why eCommerce is booming and what its benefits are. Moreover, you can enlighten them on how e-commerce translation services have played its part to bring consumers and sellers closer more than ever.
If you are a catering service provider, you can engage with your online customers via writing food blogs or sharing delicious quarantine meals and so on. Get creative!
Wrapping it up
Currently, everything is affected by the coronavirus, but some businesses are better at surviving than the others. The pandemic had a certain impact on the eCommerce industry but the depression is slow and yet to have major consequences. So it's a win-win situation for now despite slow deliveries, eCommerce is coping.
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