I am sure we don’t need to tell you how much life has changed lately as a result of Coronavirus, equally there is no need to inform you that people have largely shifted from high street shopping to shopping online. It's something that we have all experienced and are most likely doing ourselves.
But the real question is just how much has ecommerce shopping changed as a result of coronavirus, and more importantly, is there anything that you can implement to help your ecommerce store continue to do well.
How Online Shopping Has Changed & What you can do
Search behaviour
As life changes, what people typically search for also changes. An example of this is the search phrase ‘gloves’ – when people searched for ‘gloves’ this time last year they were looking for entirely different products.
Due to this it's important to review the types of keywords and phrases that you are optimising for within your online marketing to ensure that it is still relevant.
Checking this search behaviour can help you to highlight possible opportunities for you to take advantage of. Many clothing stores are seeing an increase in the keyword ‘masks’ within their online store as people look for protective masks to wear. Some clothing brands have started to produce their own masks to match their range.
Shifting the business focus based on these searches isn’t a bad idea – as people are restricted due to Coronavirus typical searches for wedding outfits, specific holiday items, travel products have all dropped dramatically. Adapting your ecommerce store accordingly can help it come out the other side of Covid-19 in a much better position.
Out of Stock Products
As demand grows for particular items and supply chains become impacted by a lack of workers, shipping facilities and an influx on our postal system, it becomes incredibly important to ensure that you have good management of your stock levels and handle out of stock products on your ecommerce store well.
Go through your online store and ensure that the stock levels match what you have in your store. If there are products that you typically allow people to order when they are out of stock because previously you have always been able to get immediate delivery, then ensure that you check this is still possible.
Speak to your web developer and ask them to put an ‘in stock only’ filter on your ecommerce store, this will allow people to look at your online shop categories and opt to view only products that are in stock. This keeps disappointment down and makes the shopping process simpler for your customer.
Another feature that you could add to your ecommerce store is an ‘email me when back in stock’ option on the product page. This will allow you to gauge how many people are interested in an out of stock product, for you to try to gain new stock of the product for x number of orders, and then let the customer know directly when its back in stock.
You can even take this ‘back in stock’ email option a step further by sending an alternative product that may suit them after a set period of time if you cannot see your business being able to replenish stock anytime soon.
Make yourself stand out
Now all businesses are focusing online, and for many, they have lost their ability to attract people on the high street, the competition online has heated up.
Be creative to cut through the rest of the noise online and engage with your audience. Social media and a user-friendly ecommerce website is your best avenue right now.
If there are fun features that you can bring into your website and marketing plan, then do so. Anything that helps your customers to interact with you as a brand in a feel-good way. That way you are maintaining and building relationships which will reap dividends when the lockdown is lifted.
And lastly
Keep your chin up.
Things are hard at the moment and a challenge for us all. Life has changed dramatically and we are all trying to keep ourselves and loved ones upbeat and positive. Cut yourself some slack and simply take each step one at a time.
If you need any assistance with your online marketing or ecommerce store then the team here at Digital Nachos is here for you.
All comments regarding Coronavirus (Covid-19) and restrictions on business operating in the UK are correct at the time the blog was posted. Please refer to current restrictions in your area to guide you in your response to Coronavirus.
Published: 6th Jul 2020