The year 2020 was no less than a black year for offline businesses, but for online, it turned out to be fruitful and now the competition is even fiercer than it was before the pandemic. So, how to survive the competition? Let’s find out.
Undoubtedly, 2020 is a life-altering year for us. It is surprising to see how drastically our habits and way of living have changed due to the fear of coronavirus. Although lockdowns and restrictions were imposed for our good, it disrupted the lives of many like offline retailers and some of them had to put shutters on their shop permanently after being robbed of their savings. It is during such times the importance of online business we realise.
When everything around us was closed eCommerce businesses became the saviours as it had a lower risk of spreading virus than offline shops. Today, despite coronavirus still among us, almost everything has been opened and back to business while eCommerce sales have been doubled. What we mean to say is after realising the importance of having an online presence, many offline retailers are now taking interest in getting their online presence built which has doubled the competition on the online market. Hence, staying ahead in the curve is becoming difficult day-by-day. So, what can be done to make your online business stand out among the crowd?
- Position yourself better
The competition is tough and there are thousands of others doing the same thing as you. Therefore, to stand out, you must position yourself out there better so that people notice you. By positioning we mean – try to connect to your customers well. Offer products that make them feel like it was made for them and speaks to their challenges, desires, or needs. Keep up with the current trend which will make yours a business who understands things on a deep level. The more you are clear about what you are selling, to whom, the more visible you will be to your customers.
- Embrace new technologies
Technologies keep changing and customers adapt them quickly. Therefore, you got to be there where your customers are and offer them products and services in the latest manner as possible if you don’t want to be left out in the competition. Implement the latest technologies like AR, VR, chatbots, etc. especially in the present pandemic and for the future too.
- Restructure and replan
Coronavirus has initiated the new-normal which is social-distancing, no-contact deliveries, online shopping, etc. and people are becoming used to it. Hence, your old-school methods of carrying out business won’t work anymore. You need to restructure your business operations and replan your strategies and adapt to COVID learnings for survival.
- Initiate omnichannel marketing
As we said before, customers are everywhere, hence; you need to have an omnichannel presence i.e. be there on every possible platform like online, offline, social media, etc. offering a unified experience in all. Thus, by making use of both digital and/or traditional marketing channels, you must market yourself more and better to be heard and seen by the customers.
- Revamp your store
It’s time to make some changes in your store as per the current pandemic in terms of everything, content, features, usability, navigation, etc., if you want to stay in your customers’ mind and priority list. With tough competition, if a customer finds anything in your online store to be slow, irrelevant, time-consuming, that’s it, they will jump to your competitor. Therefore, as an eCommerce store owner, you must offer an effortless shopping experience no matter what the situation is. So, get in touch with the best eCommerce mobile app builder in the Middle East for all your eCommerce needs. Keep the content updated about how you are practising hygiene in everything, amp up your site speed and security, make checkout simple, keep customers informed about your inventory, latest offers etc. to sail through the cut-throat competition.
Final thoughts
We are not sure when the pandemic will end, and even if it ends it is highly unlikely for people to go back to old habits. Therefore, online shopping is here to stay for a very long time and may rise further post-pandemic too. Hence; remove every single barrier to your sales if you want to gain traffic and conversions in your store.
