电子商务和全渠道购物并非因大流行病而诞生，但 COVID-19 的到来加速了这些趋势的发展，如果没有大流行病，这些趋势可能需要几十年的时间。大流行病也没有孕育出便利性，也没有激发消费者对便利性的需求，但它确实揭示了便利性在日常生活中的重要性，尤其是在全球健康危机中。现在，随着消费者恢复大流行前的许多活动，零售商需要继续关注便利性--即使消费者离开了舒适的家。
早在 COVID-19 问世之前，消费者的日常生活就已十分繁忙。品牌和零售商都在积极考虑数字渠道、电子商务和真正的全渠道购物体验。现在，消费者对连接性和全渠道体验的依赖已超过 16 个月，对便利性的要求比以往任何时候都要高，消费者对零售商的期望也会更高。
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.
例如，"点击即取 "服务已成为零售业的主流。虽然这些服务是零售商在无法选择店内购物时的救命稻草，但它们的普及代表着在便利性方面向前迈进了一大步，因为它们将在线购物体验与本地消费者的快速、便捷取货体验融为一体。即使在店内购物回归的情况下，这种趋势仍将继续。既然便利性有了新标准，零售商就必须保持灵活、敏捷并以消费者为中心。
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.
零售商在重要节日活动前可以做的 3 件事：
- 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
