How to Prioritize Digital Commerce during COVID-19?

The COVID-19 pandemic has put millions of lives in danger. People are locked inside their homes in quarantine and only those involved in essential services – police, health officials – are allowed to move out. Never-before-heard terms like social distancing, self-quarantine are trending on social media. Brick and mortar stores are either not operating or are allowed to open only for a limited time. B2B and Direct-to-Consumer brands are struggling to meet the needs of their customers. Digital commerce appears to be the only viable solution during these tough times. But it requires exploring new channels of service, searching new ways of attracting customers, and developing capabilities to scale efficiently. This article talks in length about the steps you can take to prioritize digital commerce during the current crisis and implement the learning in the post-COVID-19 world.

1. Stand resolutely with your customers

The COVID-19 crisis has devastated supply chains across the globe. People are utterly confused about what to buy, where to buy, and from whom to buy. They are afraid that sellers might take advantage of the situation and demand extra money. This is the time when you should stand resolutely with your customers. Following are a few things you can do to cement your position in the customer’s hearts:

• Be transparent and truthful in your offerings
• Supply essential products to those places where the COVID-19 pandemic has been more severe
• Repurpose your factory to make products that are imperative for the survival of the society at large – Hand wash, Soaps, Hand sanitizers, etc.
• Release audience-specific content and service guidelines for different sections of society – parents with babies will have different concerns than those with teenagers.
• Once you have identified the ideal digital commerce channel, you should make sure that your brand position is appropriately represented. It should be more than just a channel to buy and sell goods; it should represent what difference you are making in society.
• Listen to what your customers are discussing. Have a mechanism to take regular feedback and improve upon your shortcomings.

Also Read: How to Connect With Your Digital-Only Customers?

2. Digital Commerce is set to Zip, Zap, Zoom

With the shutting down of hotels, restaurants, and all kinds of brick and mortar stores, the responsibility to fulfill the essential needs of the masses has fallen on the shoulders of digital commerce channels. This is still a blue ocean with fewer fishes, which means that it has countless untapped opportunities and millions of dollars of profits to be made. The following are a few actions that you can take to make the most of the opportunity.

• Form cross-functional teams, assign them responsibilities, and measure their KPIs from time to time. This will help you build a durable and long-lasting digital commerce platform.
• Develop systems to ascertain the customer journey on your digital commerce channel. This will help you locate congested paths and system failures that can deteriorate customer experience.
• Conduct shopper assessments from time-to-time to know the current trends in online shopping and how you can improve upon them. Such assessments are also necessary to expand to new target segments.

COVID-19 pandemic is changing the buying behavior of customers. This presents countless opportunities for businesses to cash-on. With time, as the effects of the crisis become more pronounced, companies will be in a better position to formulate their strategies.

At Sage, we are home to world-class CRM, ERP and HRMS software that will make remote working a piece of cake, boost employee productivity, synchronize inter-departmental activities, and generate more profits. To know more about it, SMS SAGE to 56767. You can also write to us at sales@sagesoftware.co.in.

Disclaimer: All the information, views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and their respective web sources and in no way reflect the principles, views or objectives of Sage Software Solutions (P) Ltd.