Impact of COVID-19 on E-commerce: Redefining Digital Strategies

Authored by Siddhartha Vanvani, CEO & Founder, DigiDarts.

The current Coronavirus pandemic has disrupted various aspects of our lives, from everyday safety to livelihoods and businesses, along with a sense of normalcy. Although a majority of people are turning to the internet amid the lockdown (more than ever before), some brands are concerned about their financial well-being. Since this global pandemic, we have witnessed a surge in online buying and change in consumer behavior, which, together, led to a profound impact on e-commerce as a whole.

How COVID-19 Impacted the E-Commerce Industry

Whether you're running a purely online business or utilizing e-commerce as a complement to a physical shop, the Coronavirus has most definitely impacted both aspects. Over one-third of retailers (36 per cent) believe that COVID-19 will affect their businesses negatively. Even massive retailers need to alter/augment their strategy and move forward.

Currently, major e-commerce sites are selling essential items, although non-essential goods are gradually seeing the dawn of the day. This has led to disruption in the efficient management of sales and shipping processes for the near future. With the temporary absence of paid search ads on these sites, consumers are able to focus on essential goods, including daily grocery, personal hygiene products, child-care products, and so on.

Although this pandemic has (for the moment), shifted the focus to certain essential goods alone, e-commerce brands are looking to capture a greater share of the market and expand their brand recall via a wide variety of strategies.

You can try them too.

Effective Marketing Strategies for E-Commerce During Covid-19

Create a Mailing List

E-mail lists, if leveraged in the right manner, can work wonders for certain e-commerce brands. These lists enable you to connect with clients and share relevant information, updates, and newsletters. E-mailers can also be used to share brand journeys, highlight key products, boost sales, promote businesses, and generate leads.

The lockdown, along with its wide wave of frustration and ennui, has granted us the time to pursue knowledge and hone skills in interesting ways. Brands, especially e-commerce ones, must view this as an opportunity to share brand awareness, while taking on an empathetic approach towards its consumers. These communications can be highlighted via e-mailers, especially when the recipients are targeted as per preferred brand demographic. Social media, along with beautifully-crafted landing pages can also make all the difference.

Boost Traffic On Your Website

A brand’s website is a visual representation of its intricate workings, its processes, and achievements. However, if you are unable to target your core demographic, even the most UI-smart websites will fail to make an impact. It is important to recognize the importance of being able to draw new consumers, and offer them something of value.

There are countless ways to attract more visitors on your website, but blogging is one that grants the most value. Words will continue to inspire and touch the human race, which essentially points to the fact that good communication can help forge a genuine emotional connect with your audience.

In order to craft blogs that are engaging and relevant, tap into trends and advancements in industries that apply to your demographic interest. As a brand, you should also be able to impart comfort and reassurance to your readers amid the anxieties that surround COVID.

Apart from this, do not neglect the importance of SEO [Search Engine Optimization], as it is a vital component for keyword ranking and content outreach. You can hire SEO specialists in order to make sure that your processes are streamlined in a way that is effective and resourceful.

Also, add links to relevant information sources, particularly if you are going to discuss the virus at some capacity. After all, back-links provide additional credibility to a website and aid in traffic generation.

Facilitate Podcasts / Articles:

Podcasts are always fun – they include engaging discussions, personal anecdotes, and key takeaways, depending on its quality. In order to create your own podcast show, collaborate with other brands and talk about topical industry matters. Do a product reveal or ask existing customers to share their experiences about your product/service. You can also turn a trending issue/topic into a podcast discussion, wherein you can dig deeper or speak to an expert in order to spread awareness.

Articles, especially paid promotions, also go a long way in disseminating key info about product launches, updates, new acquisitions, and so on. Paid PR can help you attract the right kind of attention and potentially acquire new consumers or collaborators to work with.

Social Media:

Social networking can still be a significant aspect of online marketing, and throughout COVID-19, it remains a crucial part of effective online marketing strategies. These days, everybody is on social media, and people turn to these platforms for acquiring news and updates. One can also track how the virus is evolving, whether it has reached a flatline, etc and gauge safety information to combat the virus. As an e-commerce brand, take the time to build an impactful and genuinely engaged social media community. When you connect with your consumers, you’re able to boost brand loyalty in ways unimaginable

It is crucial to remember that whether your company addresses improvements and adapts to them would be the difference between success and failure in the face of Coronavirus. And these strategies can definitely help you, especially in the face of adversity, and long after. We understand that COVID-19 has caused a great many changes, some of which might feel temporarily irreversible. However, life is a flat circle of normalcy and mishaps, and humans, as a race, have always overcome the worst imaginable. We shall overcome this too.