The pandemic has forced people around the world to change their consumer habits: we shop from home and look for entertainment online. Once the restrictions have been lifted, people are unlikely to give up all elements of the new lifestyle - many of them will stay with us for a long time. Leaders and experts in Marketing spoke about how the world has “digitized” during the pandemic. New industry standard trends will stay with us for a long time. In this article, I will tell you what has been changed in the Marketing industry, but here is also a good article about core Marketing principles.
Self-isolation has temporarily excluded offline from our lives, and the main consequence of this process has been total digitalization. After living online for several months, we managed to assess how convenient and economical it is, to approach many familiar things remotely. Yes, at first glance, once the restrictions have been lifted, people will hurry back to the fitness clubs, cafes, and offices that they have missed - but that does not mean that they will now refuse to deliver food, virtual training, remote jobs, and other pleasant things.
Events and Impressions
Despite the gradual removal of restrictions in Europe and the USA, the return of public events is probably not coming soon. Even when the event field recovers, many people will still be aware of crowded places, which means that the role of online events will continue to grow in the long term.
This format has many advantages, in particular - budget, and the ability to erase geographical boundaries. These advantages will allow gaining a foothold in our lives - both in its ‘clean’ version and in its mixed version, when, along with a ticket to the festival, it will be possible to gain access to a live broadcast if the customer does not have the opportunity to come in person. Thus, when the education sphere has moved towards online events, it turned out that this format was even more convenient for most of us since we do not need to put hours on the road or think about leaving a child at home. We are now considering to pursue both formats: online and offline, even after the restrictions will be removed.
VR impressions received a powerful boost during the coronavirus: virtual tourism, virtual walks in museums and zoos, virtual real estate shows. And even if demand for virtual impressions subsides after the restrictions have been lifted, VR will get a new life in marketing.
For example, VR in tourism already helps companies to advertise various destinations by offering customers a stroll around local attractions. The American company Travel World VR, in particular, specializes in virtual solutions for tourism. It is used not only by travel agencies but also by the hospitality industry: VR surveys provide much more information about a hotel than reading advertising leaflets and looking at photographs.
E-commerce
The pandemic has become a real driver for e-commerce, especially in the FMCG sector. Whereas this market used to lag in online trading volumes, the gap may now be narrowing: before the coronavirus, one of the main reasons for not delivering products online was a fear of late delivery or spoiled goods such as stale fruits. Positive experience gain during self-isolation has made online shopping a part of our daily life: FMCG sales in the e-commerce segment have almost doubled and, judging by trends, will continue to grow.
During the pandemic, you may be looking to digitize your business, which means that in the end, you are likely to have an acute need for the Website. Platforms such as Squarespace or Wix are used quite often. However, if you are in complete control of the situation and are making a website from scratch, you will ultimately need solid Web Hosting - as page optimization and download speed are largely related to this.
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The e-commerce boom has led to major online shopping changes. Since last year, shopping has started to develop at a huge pace in Asia, especially China - live shopping broadcasts that turn the whole process from a functional procedure - into a way of entertainment. In pursuit of new emotions and impressions, people begin to use tools of so-called social shopping - sales through social networking sites, which provide an opportunity to discuss their purchases, share new acquisitions, and exchange views on products. Therefore, those retailers who can create space for online shopping, allow consumers to relax and chat, will certainly benefit in the new world.
Safety and Economy
The coronavirus situation has forced many of us to pay such close attention to our health the first time. Of course, over time we will stop reaching for the antiseptic all the time, we will start touching underground handrails again and take an ice cream cone with no gloves - but the desire for safety in us will be stronger than ever before. In this regard, those brands that can demonstrate their concern for the well-being of their customers will win.
Most shops now offer visitors antiseptics and disposable gloves, some organizations have begun to disinfect the indoor air with bactericidal lamps. In Europe, some brands - such as Stella McCartney and Bond Street - had anticipated this trend even before the pandemic by installing air filtration systems at their locations. Posters telling customers that the premises are being processed and that employees are wearing masks can be preserved in catering establishments and beauty salons - no longer in connection with the coronavirus, but for the sake of focusing on the safety of visitors. Any activity that helps to mitigate the negative impact of the environment on customers’ health in the new world will be valued more than ever and companies will have to take this into account in their customer service.
Finally, another important consequence of the crisis was a reduction in consumption. With falling incomes, consumers around the world have become more thoughtful about their shopping basket. According to a report by The Boston Consulting Group, 27% of them plan to cut spending on fashion, luxury goods, toys, and games over the next six months, while the popularity of the “free trial” search engine on Google has increased by 30%. The desire of the audience to save money heavily affects the pricing policies of companies - from providing test access to the services to developing new products: less expensive and much more popular.
