Post by sumiseo558899 on Nov 7, 2024 3:00:23 GMT -5
During the pandemic, the need to use the internet for work, games, and communication has created new habits in people. As many countries begin to gradually emerge from quarantine, it’s time to review priorities and business processes. We’ll tell you how consumer needs are changing so you can prepare for the new conditions and quickly respond to the crisis.
Let's take a look at what habits users have developed recently and how we can adapt to the new reality.
The Impact of Accelerated Digital Evolution on Human Behavior
Google Trends statistics show that people content writing service
are consuming more and more services digitally — amid the quarantine, digital channels have become the only way to communicate with anyone other than family members. At the same time, a variety of online services and services have quickly emerged.
It's time to think about how to adapt your business to the new needs of the digital world.
The habit of buying online will remain
Since the introduction of quarantine, consumers have started to shop online more often. Since the beginning of March, the number of search queries with the words " online shopping " and " how to shop online " has doubled worldwide. According to Nielsen, at the same time, sales in large retail chains in Russia have increased more than one and a half times. And the number of online purchases in the FMCG sector reached peak values in the second half of March.
According to Google's user movement data , the return to brick-and-mortar stores in Russia is happening faster than expected. Shopping mall attendance was 65-70% compared to June last year.
Changing consumer needs have led to new habits
Retail is not the only area that has gone digital during the quarantine. Buyers are increasingly turning to the Internet for things that they rarely or never did online. For example, in Russia, interest in search queries such as “ online lessons ,” “ online quiz ,” and “ online training ” has grown.
How the Accelerated Transition to Online Affects Business
People are increasingly using digital technologies in all areas of their lives, be it work or education. As a result, consumers' expectations of online services and online stores are growing. That is why all companies, regardless of their size, need to switch to digital technologies and restructure processes to meet new needs.
Companies must embrace digital transformation to stay ahead of the times
A new McKinsey report shows that the pandemic has changed consumer behavior, and most companies are adapting their business models to digital. Last year, we wrote that smart digital marketing can bring up to 20% additional revenue and reduce costs by up to 30%. According to BCG, only 2% of companies have moved to later stages of digital maturity — the rest are just starting out.
Experts have identified six key factors for achieving digital maturity. They are especially relevant now, when most companies have had to accelerate their digital transformation:
Combining proprietary customer data from multiple sources;
Integrating marketing objectives to achieve brand goals;
Automate tasks and tailor messages for the most effective communication;
Establishing strategic partnerships with common marketing goals;
Training and hiring staff who study and analyze data;
Building flexible, multidisciplinary teams that can quickly learn from mistakes.
They are described in more detail in our article . And the full version of the report says what exactly can be done to move to the next stage on the path to digital maturity.
Remote work is here to stay
Many companies are gradually returning to office work, but we believe that in the future, processes will be built more flexibly. According to a study by JLL, 56% of Russians surveyed would like to combine remote work with office work. 80% of respondents need more flexible working conditions. That is why it is better to transfer internal processes to a digital format so that convenience and quality do not suffer when working remotely.
Demand is also growing for office equipment and home technology, such as video calling software . The peak number of daily calls on Google Meet , a free service, has increased 30-fold since January.
Stop and decide where to go next
Both customers and employees increasingly use digital channels to work and interact. Transformation of all areas of activity has become a key condition for communicating with customers and running a business effectively. We can offer four recommendations:
1. Adapt to your customers' needs
The pandemic has caused consumer behavior to change rapidly and unpredictably. It is especially important for advertisers to understand what people are looking for and what demand is in different industries in order to change their offerings accordingly.
2. Be prepared to change quickly
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many quickly adapted their advertising campaigns to stay in touch with their audience, while others completely restructured and moved into new areas after demand changed. The habit of being flexible and quick to respond will not only help you act effectively during the pandemic, but will also teach you to cope with any changes in the future.
3. Research your own data carefully
First-party data is information collected from customers via CRM and other systems. It is essential to formulate a digital marketing strategy, adapt to new market rules, and build a solid foundation for growth. Importantly, this data is specific to your business, meaning it will help you better understand your customers and their needs. You can use this information responsibly by organizing a transparent exchange with your customers. This will make online interactions more convenient, improve your relationships with them, increase conversions, and increase ROI.
4. Think about the business model in the long term
In a changing market, many advertisers are switching to short-term solutions that depend on specific problems that affect the business. Now that we have started to move towards recovery from the crisis, it is time to think about strategy and build a new, more flexible business model on this basis. This is where automation can come in handy, allowing you to quickly record fluctuations in demand and get more return on your marketing spend.
The pandemic has accelerated the transition to digital, and now technology can help us get out of the crisis faster. There are companies that are not quite ready for digital transformation — but they also have a chance to change their work processes. There is still time to think about where you want to go next, but the time to change is now.
Sergey Klenkin
CEO of digital agency Original Works
The pandemic has forced us to test drive online shopping, even for dedicated offline retailers. Some people really got into it — but I’m not sure that sales will move entirely online.
The number of online purchases may increase for another reason. Experts predict a rapid decline in income, and it is more convenient to find cheaper goods online. Therefore, the trend for online shopping will definitely continue, but it is still a long way from a complete rejection of offline.
We switched to remote work in two days without any problems, restructured the work of the team and are still working with almost no loss of efficiency. But our team is connected by years of cooperation, jokes at the coffee machine and dozens of corporate parties. In the online environment, it will be difficult for new employees to become part of the team - general chats and stickers in Telegram will not replace personal communication. Therefore, we are not thinking of switching to remote work completely.
Online advertising cannot be called a "magic pill" to save a brand. If a business was initially ready to work remotely, respond quickly, communicate in messengers and social networks, then it simply increased the advertising budget and "caught the wave". Self-isolation has pushed some business owners to realize their situation. They are seriously thinking about restructuring their business, but this is a difficult path that not everyone will go through.
This also applies to companies that do not want to go digital. I think the best always remain on the market. Vinyl records have left the masses, but there are still a few companies with top players for connoisseurs. And Polaroid has been replaced by Fujifilm Instax Mini with instant printing from Instagram.
I believe that the same will happen to those who do not want to go digital. If you are the best in your field, then your income and number of customers are unlikely to change.
Timur Ugulava
Chief Operating Officer of Mediasphere
Unfortunately, even self-isolation did not show businesses that in order to survive, they need to go online and build communication with the client through quality service. Many companies did not have time to adapt to the situation during the quarantine. And now that the restrictions have been lifted, they have returned to their previous positions.
What distinguishes offline from online:
The ability to touch the product
Empathy from a living person
Feeling of personal service
Personal experience as a manager, trainer or salesperson
If offline can win, it is by strengthening these points. Businesses often do not understand that their task is not so much to sell a product or service, but to provide quality service, which will increase sales.
Advertising activity was reduced during the pandemic in any case. However, most of our clients stayed online to maintain market share or, conversely, to grow while others sat back. We conducted interviews and found out that directors of similar companies made opposite decisions on advertising: to increase or to turn off.
Not going digital is a losing strategy. People are online most of the time now. Not recognizing this fact means ignoring the inevitable evolution. In business, such principledness can lead to a sad ending.
I'm not sure that remote work is an effective replacement for offline work. It all depends on the industry and how the team's work was previously structured. Our team did not feel any discomfort and easily switched to remote work. After the quarantine was lifted, we chose a hybrid work scheme: those who want to work in the office, the rest at home. The main thing is not the location, but the efficiency of completing tasks.
Let's take a look at what habits users have developed recently and how we can adapt to the new reality.
The Impact of Accelerated Digital Evolution on Human Behavior
Google Trends statistics show that people content writing service
are consuming more and more services digitally — amid the quarantine, digital channels have become the only way to communicate with anyone other than family members. At the same time, a variety of online services and services have quickly emerged.
It's time to think about how to adapt your business to the new needs of the digital world.
The habit of buying online will remain
Since the introduction of quarantine, consumers have started to shop online more often. Since the beginning of March, the number of search queries with the words " online shopping " and " how to shop online " has doubled worldwide. According to Nielsen, at the same time, sales in large retail chains in Russia have increased more than one and a half times. And the number of online purchases in the FMCG sector reached peak values in the second half of March.
According to Google's user movement data , the return to brick-and-mortar stores in Russia is happening faster than expected. Shopping mall attendance was 65-70% compared to June last year.
Changing consumer needs have led to new habits
Retail is not the only area that has gone digital during the quarantine. Buyers are increasingly turning to the Internet for things that they rarely or never did online. For example, in Russia, interest in search queries such as “ online lessons ,” “ online quiz ,” and “ online training ” has grown.
How the Accelerated Transition to Online Affects Business
People are increasingly using digital technologies in all areas of their lives, be it work or education. As a result, consumers' expectations of online services and online stores are growing. That is why all companies, regardless of their size, need to switch to digital technologies and restructure processes to meet new needs.
Companies must embrace digital transformation to stay ahead of the times
A new McKinsey report shows that the pandemic has changed consumer behavior, and most companies are adapting their business models to digital. Last year, we wrote that smart digital marketing can bring up to 20% additional revenue and reduce costs by up to 30%. According to BCG, only 2% of companies have moved to later stages of digital maturity — the rest are just starting out.
Experts have identified six key factors for achieving digital maturity. They are especially relevant now, when most companies have had to accelerate their digital transformation:
Combining proprietary customer data from multiple sources;
Integrating marketing objectives to achieve brand goals;
Automate tasks and tailor messages for the most effective communication;
Establishing strategic partnerships with common marketing goals;
Training and hiring staff who study and analyze data;
Building flexible, multidisciplinary teams that can quickly learn from mistakes.
They are described in more detail in our article . And the full version of the report says what exactly can be done to move to the next stage on the path to digital maturity.
Remote work is here to stay
Many companies are gradually returning to office work, but we believe that in the future, processes will be built more flexibly. According to a study by JLL, 56% of Russians surveyed would like to combine remote work with office work. 80% of respondents need more flexible working conditions. That is why it is better to transfer internal processes to a digital format so that convenience and quality do not suffer when working remotely.
Demand is also growing for office equipment and home technology, such as video calling software . The peak number of daily calls on Google Meet , a free service, has increased 30-fold since January.
Stop and decide where to go next
Both customers and employees increasingly use digital channels to work and interact. Transformation of all areas of activity has become a key condition for communicating with customers and running a business effectively. We can offer four recommendations:
1. Adapt to your customers' needs
The pandemic has caused consumer behavior to change rapidly and unpredictably. It is especially important for advertisers to understand what people are looking for and what demand is in different industries in order to change their offerings accordingly.
2. Be prepared to change quickly
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many quickly adapted their advertising campaigns to stay in touch with their audience, while others completely restructured and moved into new areas after demand changed. The habit of being flexible and quick to respond will not only help you act effectively during the pandemic, but will also teach you to cope with any changes in the future.
3. Research your own data carefully
First-party data is information collected from customers via CRM and other systems. It is essential to formulate a digital marketing strategy, adapt to new market rules, and build a solid foundation for growth. Importantly, this data is specific to your business, meaning it will help you better understand your customers and their needs. You can use this information responsibly by organizing a transparent exchange with your customers. This will make online interactions more convenient, improve your relationships with them, increase conversions, and increase ROI.
4. Think about the business model in the long term
In a changing market, many advertisers are switching to short-term solutions that depend on specific problems that affect the business. Now that we have started to move towards recovery from the crisis, it is time to think about strategy and build a new, more flexible business model on this basis. This is where automation can come in handy, allowing you to quickly record fluctuations in demand and get more return on your marketing spend.
The pandemic has accelerated the transition to digital, and now technology can help us get out of the crisis faster. There are companies that are not quite ready for digital transformation — but they also have a chance to change their work processes. There is still time to think about where you want to go next, but the time to change is now.
Sergey Klenkin
CEO of digital agency Original Works
The pandemic has forced us to test drive online shopping, even for dedicated offline retailers. Some people really got into it — but I’m not sure that sales will move entirely online.
The number of online purchases may increase for another reason. Experts predict a rapid decline in income, and it is more convenient to find cheaper goods online. Therefore, the trend for online shopping will definitely continue, but it is still a long way from a complete rejection of offline.
We switched to remote work in two days without any problems, restructured the work of the team and are still working with almost no loss of efficiency. But our team is connected by years of cooperation, jokes at the coffee machine and dozens of corporate parties. In the online environment, it will be difficult for new employees to become part of the team - general chats and stickers in Telegram will not replace personal communication. Therefore, we are not thinking of switching to remote work completely.
Online advertising cannot be called a "magic pill" to save a brand. If a business was initially ready to work remotely, respond quickly, communicate in messengers and social networks, then it simply increased the advertising budget and "caught the wave". Self-isolation has pushed some business owners to realize their situation. They are seriously thinking about restructuring their business, but this is a difficult path that not everyone will go through.
This also applies to companies that do not want to go digital. I think the best always remain on the market. Vinyl records have left the masses, but there are still a few companies with top players for connoisseurs. And Polaroid has been replaced by Fujifilm Instax Mini with instant printing from Instagram.
I believe that the same will happen to those who do not want to go digital. If you are the best in your field, then your income and number of customers are unlikely to change.
Timur Ugulava
Chief Operating Officer of Mediasphere
Unfortunately, even self-isolation did not show businesses that in order to survive, they need to go online and build communication with the client through quality service. Many companies did not have time to adapt to the situation during the quarantine. And now that the restrictions have been lifted, they have returned to their previous positions.
What distinguishes offline from online:
The ability to touch the product
Empathy from a living person
Feeling of personal service
Personal experience as a manager, trainer or salesperson
If offline can win, it is by strengthening these points. Businesses often do not understand that their task is not so much to sell a product or service, but to provide quality service, which will increase sales.
Advertising activity was reduced during the pandemic in any case. However, most of our clients stayed online to maintain market share or, conversely, to grow while others sat back. We conducted interviews and found out that directors of similar companies made opposite decisions on advertising: to increase or to turn off.
Not going digital is a losing strategy. People are online most of the time now. Not recognizing this fact means ignoring the inevitable evolution. In business, such principledness can lead to a sad ending.
I'm not sure that remote work is an effective replacement for offline work. It all depends on the industry and how the team's work was previously structured. Our team did not feel any discomfort and easily switched to remote work. After the quarantine was lifted, we chose a hybrid work scheme: those who want to work in the office, the rest at home. The main thing is not the location, but the efficiency of completing tasks.