November 12, 2020
The new normal, post-Covid world, or whatever you may call it, is going to change everything. From the way we work to the way consumers behave. If we look to the future, it’s looking pretty bleak – we can’t sugar-coat that. Brexit, the continuation of covid, a potential recession and rising commodity prices are four major concerns on the horizon. With all of this in mind, it’s time to start adjusting your marketing strategy to deal with these imminent changes.
Nielsen recently released an insights report, looking at how consumer shopping behaviours have changed this year. And it looks like these behaviours are here to stay. For many marketers, Christmas planning is well underway but it’s not too late to make some adjustments to help you stand out from the crowd and end this chaotic year with a bang.
E-commerce is the new convenience store.
And no, that doesn’t mean popping online to grab your favourite chocolate bar (well, maybe for some). It means consumers are now turning to online stores with the hope of finding the products they need or want with ease, at a quick pace. As well as expecting those goods to arrive quickly too.
Now, that’s not exactly new news, seeing as all ‘non-essential’ shops closed for a period of time this year. But it shows that that increase in online shoppers is not slowing down or stopping, it’s only going to increase again. And with product interest increasing, comes an increase in consumer expectation eg. Products arriving faster.
Impulse buys are on the decline.
Following the move to online shopping, consumers are less likely to impulse buy due to limited touchpoints and no customer journey maps. Of course, some companies do, do this (mostly supermarkets) but now consumers know what they want, it’s unlikely they’re going to add that phone case you usually keep by the till, to their basket.
However, although impulse buys are declining, shopping spend is increasing.
With more time being spent at home, consumers are spending more money when they shop. This is partly down to an increase in cooking and this isn’t just banana bread! No, consumers are now making meals from scratch at home, so ultimately they buy more to make these meals and not let themselves starve whilst tirelessly working amongst other household members!
Now, I know what you’re thinking, what relevance does this hold to digital marketing and social media? Well. As society shifts to an e-commerce world, online platforms and social channels are going to be noisy. Yep, VERY, VERY NOISY. But don’t panic, that doesn’t mean you’re about to hide away in the shadows. No. This is an opportunity. This is the perfect time to get those creative juices flowing, come up with new strategies, campaigns and new ways to stand out from the crowd so you can add real value back to your business.
So, where to start? For a few tips and tricks on how to start making an impact now, check out this blog ‘D2C selling on Social in Holiday mode!’. But, for a boat-load of deep insights, why not join our upcoming event Scaling D2C with social media rocket fuel on November 23rd, with Immediate Future CEO, Katy Howell, Andertons Music Digital Marketing and Communications Manager, Jocelyn Kirby, and Brandwatch Data journalist, Leia Reid. Covering all of this ☝️ and a whole lot more.