Why Having A Digital Marketing Strategy Can Help Retailers Boost Sales During A Crisis

In the past, there was the brick-and-mortar approach through which retailers reached success by giving people a reason to visit the shop: compelling experiences paired with live events and special premium services in-store. This strategy was effective in attracting more visitors and increasing the conversion rate: clients typically stayed longer, bought more goods and spent more money.

Then the Covid-19 pandemic began and this crisis became the new competitor. Retailers reacted, and while some succeeded, many failed. Now, they discovered the solution against the crisis, the right way to boost their sales during a pandemic: a proper digital marketing strategy. Let the story begin.

The World Before The Crisis

Once upon a time, most retailers were really only concerned about having a good store location with well-displayed best-selling products and some offline advertising. Retailers were used to waiting for the clients to come by the store and purchase their goods through face-to-face interaction.

Later on, competition became fearless. Retailers started to differentiate and attract new clients offering special services and live events: value-added services that offered entertainment and a luxury experience. These proved to work and offer customers additional value, making them more apt to return.

Retailers Vs. The Pandemic: Losing The Battle

After decades of sales success, the pandemic came and prevented people from visiting stores. The magic was gone. But retailers knew that offering special experiences still mattered. So they reacted, but many realized their efforts were fruitless. Why did they fail and lose their first battle against the crisis?

According to a Mastercard SpendingPulse report, U.S. e-commerce spending increased by 92.7% in May 2020. To attempt to meet the increase in e-commerce adoption, retailers tried to transfer/replicate the same in-store experience online (something they tried to do even before the pandemic), but often fell flat. Why? In the virtual world, users typically don’t expect to have the same in-store experience. Therefore, retailers needed new magic: digital marketing and technology innovation for e-commerce.

Digital Marketing Vs. The Pandemic: Boosting Sales

A traditional retailer needs a new digital strategy to boost sales during the pandemic. Let’s see the recipe for e-commerce success during a crisis.

1. Turn Online Platforms Into An Opportunity

People often complain about the power of Amazon and other online marketplaces. But you can turn platforms, such as Amazon or eBay, into an opportunity instead of seeing them as a threat. The time when using a single sales channel was enough is gone. Today, you must differentiate. So don’t wait any longer — seriously consider becoming an Amazon (or similar marketplace) vendor to start taking advantage of the platform’s success.

Read more: www.forbes.com