The coronavirus crisis has impacted our habits, everything changed as of that Saturday, March 14, 2020. Confinement came into our lives almost by surprise, what was expected to be nothing became a terrible nightmare. Shops closed, hotels closed, bars and restaurants closed, schools and universities closed, leisure establishments closed, all activities considered non-essential had to close.
The uncertainty of not knowing what was going to happen ran through everyone’s heads. That constant concern about where all this was going to take us, both health and financially, the great repercussion that it was going to have worldwide.
Finally, there has been no choice but to adapt to what has been called “the new normal” causing a transformation in our habits. Now we have a new lifestyle and a new way of relating to each other. The new normal has also brought with it that the consumption habits of many people have changed. As a result of all this, many businesses have been affected, while others have experienced growth, such as e-commerce. The state of confinement and the consumer’s need to buy led to many online purchases, thus reinforcing digital commerce.
The habit of online shopping has grown over the years, but what has ended up launching it has been the pandemic.
How has Covid-19 affected e-commerce?
These new habits that the pandemic has brought with it as we have described above have led to many changes in the way of consuming products.
We will remember that at the beginning of the confinement a large part of the Spanish population began to make compulsive purchases of what is considered essential goods. Later, the behavior of consumers began to buy other types of more flexible products that were no longer so essential. Everyone began to be a baker, pastry chef, chef … due to these changes and new habits, new consumer profiles emerged.
As a result of the evolution of the pandemic, the current user is especially distinguished for being a digital consumer. Another characteristic of the consumer in this evolution is responsibility, impulse buying has been left behind. This has caused the consumer to examine the product well, inform himself and compare before buying.
According to studies carried out, the new online shopper model spends an average of € 68 per purchase, making at least three purchases per month. The fact that now more purchases are made online keeps all the companies, brands and businesses that are in the network alert. It is very important to know your users well and provide them with what they want to find. For this, the most important points of online commerce should not be left behind; generate trust, offers, discounts, recommendations, online advertising, etc.
Knowing then how is the new profile of the consumer, who has developed research skills, before finalizing the purchase process they hesitate and compare. This is where companies have the opportunity and responsibility to facilitate the consumer experience and guide them through the purchase process.
E-commerce How to adapt to changes?
In addition to everything mentioned in the previous sections, there are some more details that are important to adapt e-commerce to changes.
Well, we already know what the new consumer is like, he is much more demanding, he investigates the product, he compares it, but he still expects something more.
What else could be done to make your experience complete and complete the purchase process? In the same way that buying in a physical store we receive a personalized treatment from the clerk, buying online should also be had. Being able to advise the consumer, clarify their doubts regarding a product or service, inform them of everything they need to know is essential and necessary. It is essential that all brands work on this experience, since it is the way to satisfy users.
Both the personalized treatment with consumers and other important aspects will require a technology that is up to par. Currently that technology is already among us and is at our fingertips. Many e-commerce are already using it with good results. Thanks to new technologies, in addition to solving personal online contact with the user, customer service has improved significantly.
Artificial Intelligence AI and Augmented Reality AR are on our side to facilitate this adaptation. But they alone will not be able to do anything if our company does not establish the digital business model that it wants to apply. Therefore, that will be the first step that we will have to do and then adapt and know where to continue.
It is very important to invest in digital marketing channels and offer a good shopping experience. At Sequra they have exhaustively prepared this White Paper that offers you an Radiografía del ecosistema e-commerce post Covid-19 and provides you with more detailed information.