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If you do not sell relevant products to prevent and treat coronavirus, right now is a tricky time. Consumers’ minds are elsewhere and you need to market with sensitivity and empathy, while also maintaining a business.
And of course, consumers are going to also enjoy a distraction or two, while filling lots of downtime as they change their routines and spend a lot more time working and relaxing at home.
Marketers and merchants can look to:
Connect with consumers around their home, family, neighbors, and close friends.
We will all be looking to fill time, and this kind of crisis has a way of connecting us to those in our immediate circles. Think about merchandising strategies that fulfill that need, maybe even a touch of nostalgia. We may all be able to use that right now.
Emphasize eCommerce.
It goes without saying that digital channels will now be paramount. Customers will be increasingly shopping from home, most likely from the couch or kitchen table (during their eighteenth conference call of the day as they work remote).
Attention spans will be short, and people will be looking to both quickly find and buy essentials, while also filling time browsing and dreaming and gaining inspiration they may well impassively act on as they spend more time at home. Google and Amazon will be a natural starting point for these consumers as they start their digital journeys.
Make sure you get your share and secure precious margin dollars by ensuring your digital experience is up to standard, your content well targeted, marketing and experience aligned and personalized, and search effective and relevant. eCommerce and digital marketing performance will be critical to not just your online numbers, but the company's overall results and earnings.
Your CEO, your board, and your investors are most certainly paying attention to eCommerce now.
Reassure customers on the source and materials of your products.
The science here is still inconclusive, but consumers are naturally more concerned now over country-of-origin and the source of the products they are bringing into their homes or businesses.
Marketplace sellers selling off-price and insta-brands from off-shore may be looked at - rightly or wrongly - differently by consumers now. Many retailers and brands are not consistent with this information on their digital channels. And it may be time to address that.
Try to address concerns over how products will be delivered or picked up.
Trusted carriers and pickup options where ‘social-distancing’ and disinfection is respected will be important to many. Consider how you might implement these and reassure your customers through clear communication. I realize this is a challenge.