Believe it or not, by the time we draw the curtain on this novel virus and the world goes back to what it used to be, there will be some major changes in our way of life. More people will work from home, folks will become more conscious of their hygiene, most consumers will prefer to shop online rather than visit a store, and several other major lifestyle changes will take effect.
But we’re not here to discuss all of these changes in detail today. We only want to review one of them, which is how consumers are likely to behave once Coronavirus finally decides to board its departure flight.
Shopping behavior will change
Take it or leave it, people survived the last couple of months without buying clothes, going to parties, taking holiday trips, and spending on luxury items. Although it wasn’t like they enjoyed the new, enforced lifestyle, at least it does imbibe a new habit in them, which is to be more frugal with their money.
It will be interesting to see if shoppers rethink their habits and priorities after this novel virus. But you can bet that they will.
Shopping will continue to happen online
Even before the outbreak of COVID-19, Ecommerce was starting to stake its claim on our world. And now, thanks to the virus, it has soared in popularity, relevance, and acceptance.
As a result, it is predicted that after the pandemic, consumers will be slow to return to brick-and-mortar retailers, with a majority of them flocking to eCommerce stores and marketplaces.
This means that if you’re a brick and mortar store retailer, you should start preparing your eCommerce store today if you don’t have one already. Popular eCommerce marketplaces to join include: Shopify, eBay, Amazon, or create your own customized store.
But whatever you do, be sure to work with a reputable guest blogging SEO expert so that when consumers start searching for where to make their purchases online, you’d be amongst the first to be found.
It might take a while
Even though some consumers are expected to go back to their default setting post-COVID, the economic impacts of this virus on many people’s finances will definitely make it impossible for people to go back to their pre-crisis spending habits.
So as a business owner, you shouldn’t expect sales to soar or go back to what they used to be immediately you open your online/offline store again. It might take a while!
Growing love for local
While purchases are currently centered on the most basic needs, people are shopping more consciously, buying local, and are embracing digital commerce.
The desire to shop locally is reflected in both the products consumers buy (e.g., locally sourced, artisanal) and the way they shop (e.g., supporting community stores). CPG brands will need to explore ways to connect locally – be it through highlighting local provenance, customizing for local needs, adopting local SEO techniques like buy blog posts, or engaging in locally relevant ways.
Health above all else
At least for the time being, you can expect people to prioritize their health over everything else. That is, businesses in the health, natural remedy, medicine, and hygiene-related niches will continue to enjoy more traffic than most businesses in other industries.
However, it is predicted that this will change with time – as more people forget about the impacts of the virus and get back to their old lives – the first few months after the virus will still be centered around health.