The COVID-19 global pandemic is one of the defining events of 2020, and it will have implications that last well into the new decade. Today, the number of people who can safely gather in a single place has been reduced from the thousands to hundreds and now tens. Public places like shopping malls, bars, restaurants, movie theaters, and gyms across cities are shutting down. Meanwhile, office workers have also come to terms with the reality of working remotely full-time.
As much as this new normal has brought a lot of unprecedented changes to people's lifestyles, the responses being shown are far more encouraging. Many are approaching this period of isolation and uncertainty with massive overnight changes. Quarantine escalated businesses’ functions and people’s lifestyles, causing closures of non-essential businesses. Shopping behaviors have changed in that many people are now going from bulk buying to online shopping. Many customers now avoid public places, and there is limited shopping for all, as the essentials part of business and parcel continues on in our daily lives.
The following information serves are a resource for global consumers to better prepare for the impact of the 2020 holiday shopping season, and how marketers can adjust their marketing during the COVID-19 holiday season to prepare for the expected decreased spending:
How to Adjust Your Marketing During the COVID-19 Holiday Season
As a marketer, sensitivity should be paramount for you in the way you pivot your marketing strategies during this upcoming COVID-19 holiday season. Many people are struggling due to the loss of incomes and the gravity of the situation as a whole. You should be mindful and empathetic to this. Your customers' needs should come first, especially when your products are not critical essentials.
It would be best if you also kept in mind that site traffic will most likely continue to spike as a result of social distancing, and more stores are likely to be closed this holiday season, making online marketing a necessity. With an unprecedented amount of online traffic visiting your website, you should have a strategy in place to properly handle these customers, including the overall website experience, functionally and any services, products and content featured on the website.
COVID-19 Holiday Campaigns & Strategies
Move Customers Online by Leveraging in-store Data
Take advantage of this moment to get your in-store customers to embrace your digital channels. Leveraging in-store customer data enables them to be aware of all they still have at their fingertips. You can communicate and engage with customers who were affected temporarily online. If you have a class of clients who buy directly from the store, you can initiate campaigns that introduce them to more online-based shopping experiences.
Launch Product Alerts to Combat Inventory Issues
Product alerts are a highly effective way of notifying your customers of essentials or products they might be interested in. To easily target customers who have interacted with a specific product, you will need a price drop, low inventory and a back-in-stock detection system set in place.
Take Advantage of Product Recommendations
With product recommendations, you can quickly personalize your email blasts to offer relevant and convenient products and services your customers may not be aware of. You can as well leverage product recommendations to propel online purchases towards the products that have high inventory levels.
Beware of the Customer's Wish List
Customers may not have enough money to buy a product immediately, so they may have to save their items to a wish list to buy later. You should be able to identify these customers and notify them when the product is up for sale, or to feature the products in future notifications to customers, so it instigates their interest in purchasing again.
Marketing Strategies with ADTACK
The above are some of the few strategies a marketer can incorporate into their campaign for the expected decreased holiday shopping season. As a business owner, understand that your customers are trying their best to adapt to these strange times without footholds, so for every action you take, make sure it's mutually inclusive. For assistance adjusting your marketing during the COVID-19 holiday season, contact ADTACK at 702-270-8772 today.
