O comércio eletrônico e as compras omnichannel não nasceram da pandemia, mas a chegada da COVID-19 acelerou essas tendências de uma forma que provavelmente levaria décadas. A pandemia também não concebeu a conveniência nem inspirou os clientes a exigi-la, mas mostrou como ela é importante na vida cotidiana - especialmente em uma crise de saúde global. Agora, à medida que os consumidores retomam muitas de suas atividades anteriores à pandemia, os varejistas precisam manter o foco na conveniência - mesmo quando os consumidores deixam o conforto de suas casas.
A vida cotidiana dos consumidores já era agitada bem antes da chegada da COVID-19. As marcas e os varejistas estavam pensando ativamente nos canais digitais, no comércio eletrônico e nas verdadeiras experiências de compras omnicanal. Agora, após mais de 16 meses de dependência dos consumidores em relação à conectividade e às experiências omnicanal, a base para a conveniência está mais alta do que nunca - e as expectativas dos consumidores em relação aos varejistas também estarão.
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.
Os serviços de clicar e coletar, por exemplo, tornaram-se comuns no cenário do varejo. Embora esses serviços tenham sido uma tábua de salvação para os varejistas quando as compras na loja não eram uma opção, sua ampla disponibilidade representa um enorme avanço em termos de conveniência, pois combinam a experiência de compra on-line com a rapidez e a facilidade de retirada para os consumidores locais. E isso continuará, mesmo com o retorno das compras em lojas físicas. Manter-se ágil, flexível e focado nos consumidores será fundamental para os varejistas, agora que existem novos padrões de conveniência.
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 coisas que os varejistas podem fazer antes dos principais eventos de fim de ano:
- 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 medição on how the campaigns resonated
