How to Adapt Your Business to Ecommerce in the post-Covid Era
Selling products and services online is now, more than ever, mandatory. Is your business ready for the new Ecommerce era?
Not so far ago, selling online was an option and a trending business model. However, the Coronavirus pandemic changed it all: Ecommerce is now more relevant than ever and the go-to option for customers to buy things safely, without having to leave their home.
Every business owner is now facing a new reality that isn’t going nowhere in the next months and possible years. These times demand adaptability, resourcefulness and, in some case, total refreshes on strategy, processes and short and long term goals in order to keep businesses afloat and generating revenue.
Although times are hard it’s also important to keep in mind that for some businesses and entrepreneurs this can be a time for opportunity and to create business and generate wealth.
Either way, business owners have to understand that current times call for new approaches and that transition is necessary — especially when it comes to starting selling product and services online. This shift is so important that can truly mean if you succeed or not in this new competitive and undiscovered environment.
I have been working in this business area for years and although every business is unique and there aren’t any magic formulas, there are definitely some steps everyone should consider when it comes to invest in Ecommerce.
In this article, I’ll be discussing just that. Keep in mind that the focus here are established business, since new ones demand a different approach and strategy.
1. Can my product/service be sold online?
The first topic may seem obvious, but many companies and business tend to think every product and/or service can be sold online. Simply put: this is not true.
For example: clothes and food are perfect product categories for Ecommerce, since these kind of products can be easily and quickly sent to the customer. Also, the buying process is natural for both existing and new clients, with the online shopping being considered, nowadays, as something familiar and almost instantaneous for most shoppers.
On the other side, services like real estate or consultancy are more complex markets, where the client isn’t prepared for a direct purchase. In these markets, the client demands more information, more security and often face to face interactions — or just more in person ones, now that we live in an era of Zoom meetings and remote work.
In these cases, the digital landscape should be used as a communication channel that aims to create interest. It’s crucial that the digital and online environments are considered not only as selling channels, but also as tools to enhance sales, communication and business-client relationships.
“The first topic may seem obvious, but many companies and business tend to think every product and/or service can be sold online. Simply put: this is not true”.
Markets like real estate or consultancy can benefit from the digital scene by using it for business positioning, branding and spreading commercial messages. Online channels should be used to showcase companies and business as trustworthy and professional in order to incentivize prospects to get in touch and, ultimately, convert (generate leads).
2. What kind of business model can I use?
First of all, it’s important to business owners to keep in mind that selling online can mean the need to adapt and change the selling processes — how the product is sold, for example. Change isn’t always bad and, in this context, can actually mean an opportunity to successfully switch to a more attractive business model.
Let me give you an actual example of this: a grocery store, until not so far ago, would have the clients go directly to the store on a daily basis — although, in truth, the store owner would have zero control over the fact if they would return the next day or choose another place to shop (one with better deals, for example). Contrarily, on a digital context, the same grocery store owner could now adapt its business model, switching to a subscription model: the client could subscribe a weekly or monthly fruit basket that gets delivered at his or her doorstep.
This kind of approach can translate not only into a more sustainable income source but also a higher control over sales. By doing this, it’s possible to create a communication channel with every customer in order to send information (deals, new products, alerts) and create a more personal connection with the goal of keep selling and also improve loyalty and client-business relationship.
3. The buying journey
After understanding the product and/or service, knowing it can be sold online, and identifying the right business model, it´s time to choose and define the buying process.
Keep in mind the ideal client must be someone that you can interact online with, during the whole buying process and after the purchase, with the clear goal to keep the business and emotional connection going.
Take your time to delineate the buying process of your product/service. Try to visualize it as a whole, so you can identify every element and every step of it, so you can create an effective, quick, easy and smooth experience for the customer.
Take a moment to think about the following:
- How will you manufacture the product?
- Which platform will you choose to showcase and sell your product?
- How will you have control over the orders?
- How will your packaging be?
- How will you ship your product to the client? And how will you make sure it gets there in one piece?
- Which tools will you use for the purchase process and client support?
4. Where to sell?
At this point, it´s time to search for the right place to sell your products/services.
When it comes to platforms and services, it’s easy to identify two base options that can be explored simultaneously:
- Creating your own store (ex: Shopify, WordPress+Woocommerce);
- Selling your product in already established retailers (ex: Dott, Amazon, eBay, UberEats, Glovo,..).
The ideal approach would be to use both of the above in order to reach a broader audience of potential clients and, as a result, increase sales.
I suggest you explore the options above and do lots of research regarding businesses similar to yours — Google can be your best friend in this task and remember to search both locally and internationally.
Analyse your budget and goals and choose the option that you see fit. Don’t forget to prioritize the clients you already have.
5. How to get my message to my clients?
Here we are… at the million dollar question!
I suggest you start by nurturing and informing the clients you already have. You can do this via your contacts base or your newsletter contact list. This should be the starting point for your communication efforts: start by showing your existing customers that you now sell online.
Please keep in mind the relevancy of data privacy and make sure you have client consent to use personal data for commercial purposes and communications. Trust me, it’s not worth the risk! If this is something you don’t know much about, consider hiring a professional to help you with this kind of task.
After informing your clients, you can start considering other tools in order to reach new customers:
- Online Advertising — from Google to social networks, take advantage of tools like segmentation in order to effectively reach your target audience and decrease investment loss;
- Social Networks — use this kind of platforms to showcase your business, services and/or products; to build a community; and to interact with your customers;
- YouTube — leverage the popularity and effectiveness of video formats and use them to demonstrate the a range of sides and characteristics of your product, service or brand;
- Influencers — create an influencer strategy that makes it able for you to showcase your product in a different and more organic way. Try a mix of influencers with a large following and micro influencers — this will maximize exposure while optimizing your budget.
Create a strategy that combines, as much as possible, the above resources, keeping in mind your budget, brand identity and goals. Don’t forget to think outside the box and be creative when it comes to approach, formats and commercial messages.
A tip: try searching for international case studies and you’ll find many success cases, with different strategies and approaches which can serve as inspiration and guidelines as what to do in order to manage costs more effectively (try searching for “Growth Hacking”).
Here are some additional ideas to consider as you move forward:
- Create communities on relevant social networks for your brand, business or service (ex: Facebook, Instagram);
- Develop a content marketing strategy (ex: create a Youtube channel focused on culinary, with video recipes that use your own products or where you showcase your skills as a cooker).
In this new era, creativity and adaptability are key. It’s crucial that we start to think about businesses in a more structured way, adapting our vision and strategies to a new normal — one filled with new trends, consumer behaviours and options for businesses.
To know more about the latest Digital Marketing trends reach us at whitekube.com!
