The C-word. COVID 19 – it’s something none of us saw coming, and the effect that it has had on the way we live has been nothing short of seismic. With highstreets closing in national and local lockdowns, non-essential businesses have been ordered to close, and many physical stores fall into this category, but customers haven’t just simply stopped shopping, on the contrary – they’ve been shopping more.
Companies with online capability are having a field day.
Customers’ attention has turned to hyperspace, where e-commerce is experiencing a renaissance. While it’s true that we had been speeding towards an e-commerce dominant society, the World Economic Forum has said that the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift to e-commerce by 5 years. That’s half a decade of change worth squeezed into 6 months. E-commerce is projected to grow by nearly 20% in 2020. As the coronavirus shapes the world, consumers have begun to shop in much higher numbers and frequency.
Here at Livetech, we have assisted countless businesses of all shapes and sizes to make the leap to e-commerce through various platforms, whether WordPress, woo-commerce, Magento, Shopify, or Amazon. While the transition was a confusing time for clients, we tried to make things run as smoothly as possible, answering any questions they had and leading them through the process in a simple, confidence-building manner. It’s these businesses that are not only surviving the hard times that come with a pandemic but actively thriving.
What’s more, a survey taken by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development suggested that changes in online activities are likely to outlast the COVID-19. Most respondents to the survey said that they would continue shopping online and focusing on essential products into the future. It also suggested that people would continue to travel more locally, which suggests that COVID-19 will also have a continuing impact on tourism even after this virus.
We’ve seen our e-commerce clients bring in record sales as people strive to get goods that they previously would have sourced in-store online.
What this tells us is pretty simple, if you do not have e-commerce capability – an online store of some description, it’s time to get one. If you already have one – then you should be doubling down on the time and money you invest in it.
The good news is that the internet makes it incredibly easy to market your goods – facebook ads are underpriced and amazingly targetable, there exist methods like influencer marketing in which you can put the product in the hands of someone that your customer looks up to and trusts, you can grow your own social media platforms and earn a following and a community that loves your brand – the possibilities really are endless. But the time to act is right now.
All of this can be really intimidating, and we understand more than most that there is so much to learn in this new digital landscape, especially when it comes to selling your services or products online, and running an online business, but you can take comfort in the fact that Livetech is here to help in these changing times. Just send us an email, or give us a call today, and we’ll only be too happy to help you on your journey to a future-proof business setup.