5 Ways eCommerce Companies can Drive Sales During COVID-19

1.         5 Ways eCommerce  Companies can  Drive Sales During  COVID-19                                   

2.   With the containment and the threat of the pandemic, consumers are turning to                           ecommerce. Multiple solutions are emerging to meet growing demand, such as                       ecommerce platform development and smartphone applications. Many companies                 are setting up their virtual store or are adapting and strengthening existing                         services, which were underdeveloped.    There is no doubt that the crisis caused by the global coronavirus pandemic has                             created an incredibly difficult business climate. Businesses face many new                     challenges, with the closure of international borders, the closure of physical                       establishments, and the isolation of people at home.        Financial uncertainty and the prospect of a severe, long-term recession create a                         difficult environment that has had an impact on consumers’ perspectives,                     perceptions and behaviours.    For companies that remain active at the moment, questions inevitably arise about                         how best to cope with current business conditions and adapt their strategies.    1 

3.   The first indications of what could happen to businesses and the economy could be                             measured by examining data from the countries that were the first to suffer from                             the ​effects of COVID-19​.    COVID-19 Already has an Impact on the Behaviour of Buyers  In early March 2020, marketing media, The Drum, reported a study that shows that                             while annual advertising growth rates in China are expected to drop from 7% to                             3.9% in 2020, advertising spending on e-commerce is expected to increase by 17.7%                           and spending on social media by 22.2%.    This clearly shows that consumers are now shifting to online shopping. Hence,                         about 14% of brands have shifted gears from offline media to online as people spend                               more time at home.    In the same study, they go on to say that e-commerce as a platform has already                                 grown exponentially, particularly in the consumer goods sector, which has seen                       spending through e-commerce channels in China. And speculations suggest that                     eCommerce will experience higher growth in 2020-2021 as compared to 2019.    Additional data from Business Insider Intelligence and eMarketer suggests that                     74.6% of American internet users said that they would be likely to avoid shopping                             centres and shopping malls if the coronavirus epidemic in the country worsened,                         and more than half of them would avoid shops in general.          2 

4.   5 Ways to Battle the Slowdown and Drive Sales Through                     Custom eCommerce Development    Introduce chatbots  Most eCommerce portals still deal with traditional customer support methods.                     According to Business Insider, 80% of businesses will be using chatbots by 2020.                           This artificial intelligence software is much more than a new channel for                         consumers to find e-commerce deals and buy products. Consumers can use                       chatbots to identify the products they want and need. 94% of online shoppers base                             their purchasing decisions on product information. Schedule your chatbot to                     answer the most common product questions. This will save your employees time.    Allow chatbots to direct customers to customer service professionals for highly                       specialized products. Give your customers 24/7 access to your business or                       customer service through chatbots. Use chatbots to efficiently collect customer                     data. Monitor their behaviour, including their purchase history and preferences.    Add ​AR/VR​ to Boost Customer Experience  Product visualization increases sales and decreases returns. This is why almost 90%                         of companies with annual sales of between $100 million and $1 billion now use                             augmented reality or virtual reality technology.    According to Gartner, 100 million buyers will use AR online and in-store by 2020.                             This technology serves as an extension of the brand experience, as it engages                           customers in immersive environments and increases revenue. Develop augmented                   reality ready products and add them to your website for an intuitive shopping                           experience  3 

5.     Improve the product discovery process. Combine customer insights and VR to                       showcase unique products that appeal to your target audience. Organize live online                         events to market your products to a wider audience. A good ​eCommerce app development company​ can help you integrate these features.                              Integrate Voice Commerce  Smart speaker devices like Google Home and Amazon Echo pair with smart PDAs                           like Google Assistant and Alexa to execute commands, search the web, and control                           other smart devices. 60% of virtual assistant owners across the world made                         purchases using voice commands. Due to the immense popularity of this                       technology, it is expected that by 2021, many brands will revamp their websites to                             support voice search functions.    Invest in a fluid voice search function, driven by artificial intelligence. This                         improves the user experience and shows customers that you really want to provide                           them with the best on-site experience.    Revolve Your Advertising or Social Media Around less                 Popular Products  Yes, daily essentials are the need of the hour but other items will also take                               precedence when the situation turns back to normal. The current scenario is the                           perfect time to get your products on a consumer’s wish list. After all, everyone                             loves to shop virtually since they cannot walk up to a physical store. There will also                                 be a boost in impulsive buying and that’s when your product recall value will come                               to place. Design your website pages to highlight products that are less popular and                             give you higher profit margins.    4 

6.   Build Customer Loyalty Through Contests and Games  Popular brands are engaging customers with regular email marketing efforts. Since                       the business has come to a pause, this time is best utilized to build a relation with                                   your customers. Contests and games appeal to the millennials and Gen-Z. Use                         these in your ​digital marketing campaigns to drive traffic to your website. You can add new games to the landing pages with Gamification software which can be                                                       easily integrated with the help of a software development company. Give out your                           own shopping vouchers or add wallet credits to encourage buying after the                         slowdown from your website.    To Conclude  Brands or businesses who have closed down temporarily will be the victims of “Out                             of Sight, Out of Mind” phenomena. If you want to be present in the mind of your                                   consumers, empathize and be a part of their journey during this time. An ideal                             strategy to bloom during good times will be to invest in improvisation and                           innovation. At OneClick, we can help you stay on top of your technological and                             digital strategy. Whether it is ​improving your site loading speed (if that is what you have been struggling with), or adding the latest features for a seamless experience.                                                         Our team of experts can help you with end-to-end services and guidance to                           bounce back once the pandemic is over.                    5 

7.                   Thank you!            ​info@itoneclick.com  (+91) 98254-86321   ​www.oneclickitsolution.com  ​https://www.facebook.com/oneclickconsultancy/  ​https://twitter.com/​OneClickIT  ​www.linkedin.com/company/one-click-it-consultancy/  6