Digital businesses have seized the opportunity to establish their presence as a response to the pandemic. For a lot of businesses, online retail activities provided not only a way of surviving but also the quickest and safest strategy to serve their community. It’s easy to understand why, in the midst of covid uncertainty, an online shop remains a safe and profitable venture. But 2020 is changing forever how we interact with the market. Every business needs to adjust. For E-commerce models, which are the storefront of choice for the quarantined and self-isolated population, adjusting is a vital step to remain relevant.

Know the trends

How do people shop? What do they want? What are other online retailers doing? Is AI the new trend in customer interaction? You can’t move forward if you don’t get familiar with the latest trends in the E-commerce industry. From growth statistics to demands in international markets, the more you know about the industry, the better you can embrace changes.

Be smart with time management

Time management is nothing new for an entrepreneur. However, at the heart of a pandemic – and let’s be honest, covid is going nowhere for the foreseeable future –, managing your time productively takes a whole new dimension. Anyone who’s tried working from home with children understands the challenges of creating an organised schedule to manage the new routine. Ultimately, automation tools and smart software solutions that do all the hard work for you can only do so much. You need to create a productive environment that allows time for thinking and creating.

Have a real voice

Word of mouth marketing is one of the most effective ways to approach your audience and get your products noticed. Indeed, paid social media marketing is a favourite strategy for online retailers. Yet, social media ads are creating a busy and crowded market. Most ads end up turning into white noise that gets ignored. Finding a voice that can reach out to your audience and introduce your brand makes a big difference. Social media influencers partnerships offer an attention-grabbing strategy.

Let customers create content

Generating fresh and engaging content is a no-brainer for online businesses. However, encouraging customers to create valuable content that can be repurposed by the brand goes one step further. Brands such as H&M, for instance, use the approach to put customers at the heart of their communication strategy. Using the hashtag #HMxME on social media enables buyers to show their styles while promoting the brand. As a business, it can be a smart move that turns customers into advocates while making them feel valued at the same time. 

Be scalable

We can expect sudden changes in demands as further covid waves hit the population. As a business owner, you can’t afford not to be prepared anymore. Establishing a logistics strategy that lets you scale up or down to meet your audience’s needs is a no-brainer. Scalability is at the core of pandemic survival, as it means being where people need you most.

As the coronavirus pandemic is affecting communities all around the world, the need for online businesses that can adjust to the new environment is growing. For online retailers, it goes beyond a digital presence. Your strategy to move past the 2020 challenges should include trends tracking, creative environment, influencer marketing, user-generated content, and scalability.