E-commerce dan belanja omnichannel tidak lahir dari pandemi, tetapi kedatangan COVID-19 mempercepat tren ini dengan cara yang mungkin membutuhkan waktu puluhan tahun. Pandemi ini juga tidak menciptakan kenyamanan, atau menginspirasi pelanggan untuk menuntutnya, tetapi hal ini menyoroti betapa pentingnya kenyamanan dalam kehidupan sehari-hari - terutama dalam krisis kesehatan global. Kini, ketika konsumen melanjutkan banyak aktivitas sebelum pandemi, peritel harus tetap fokus pada kenyamanan-bahkan ketika konsumen meninggalkan kenyamanan rumah mereka.
Kehidupan sehari-hari konsumen sudah sangat sibuk sebelum kedatangan COVID-19. Merek dan peritel secara aktif memikirkan saluran digital, e-commerce, dan pengalaman belanja omnichannel yang sesungguhnya. Kini, setelah lebih dari 16 bulan ketergantungan konsumen terhadap konektivitas dan pengalaman omnichannel, dasar untuk kenyamanan menjadi lebih tinggi dari sebelumnya - dan ekspektasi konsumen terhadap peritel juga akan meningkat.
That does not mean that all commerce will remain online. It means that retailers need to meet consumers where they are—and offer experiences that provide unilateral convenience. That will require a true blending of on- and offline tactics rather than a reliance on one over the other.
Layanan klik-dan-kumpulkan, misalnya, telah menjadi arus utama di seluruh lanskap ritel. Meskipun layanan ini merupakan penyelamat bagi para peritel ketika belanja di dalam toko tidak menjadi pilihan, ketersediaannya yang meluas merupakan langkah besar dalam hal kenyamanan, karena layanan ini memadukan pengalaman belanja online dengan kecepatan dan pengambilan barang yang mudah bagi konsumen lokal. Dan hal ini akan terus berlanjut, bahkan ketika belanja di dalam toko kembali. Tetap gesit, fleksibel, dan fokus pada konsumen akan menjadi hal yang sangat penting bagi para peritel saat ini dengan adanya standar kenyamanan yang baru.
Clearly, click-and-collect isn’t a replacement. It’s a complement. And when we look at in-store shopping trends, Nielsen Scarborough data shows that aggregate in-store shopping behavior (albeit at fewer stores, as many have closed) among U.S. households changed very little between the second half of 2019 and the second half of 2020. Aggregate in-store grocery shopping trends changed even less—even as online grocery shopping activity ticked upward. And now, with COVID restrictions lifting, consumers are increasingly engaging with traditional retail establishments.
The importance of convenience across channels will only increase going forward, particularly as consumers grow increasingly comfortable with resuming pre-pandemic activities. According to an ongoing consumer lifestyle survey about the pandemic conducted by Nielsen Audio, sentiment among U.S. consumers that life is starting to become more normal was at its highest level in June 2021, with 90% of respondents saying they felt ready to resume pre-pandemic activities, including in-store shopping, spending time with others and eating out.
For many retailers, now is the time to re-engage with consumers. While essential retailers that have had frequent, ongoing engagements with consumers over the past year are likely top-of-mind among shoppers, many retailers may need to re-introduce themselves to the broader public—especially if they pulled back on their marketing and ad spend last year.
So as consumer optimism and spending returns, retailers should be focused on marketing efforts that build their brands and grow awareness. This is particularly important for retailers thinking about their holiday planning, including click and collect options. That’s because brand awareness efforts can’t wait until September or October. They should be part of a holistic approach to marketing.
Importantly, it’s time for retailers to pivot. To survive store closures last year, many retailers shifted to conversion-oriented strategies to keep their bottom lines afloat. Today, as vaccine availability rises and consumers reclaim aspects of their pre-pandemic lives, retailers need upper-funnel brand awareness campaigns to bring their brands back into focus for consumers. We know that long-term growth requires a balance of short- and long-term marketing strategies, but retailers that pulled back on marketing last year likely have some ground to regain as they seek to re-engage with consumers.
3 Hal yang dapat dilakukan peritel menjelang acara liburan utama:
- Know who your target shoppers are post pandemic and ensure your ads are actually reaching them
- Personalize and test messaging to key shopper groups
- Set up measurement on how the campaigns resonated
