The new and potentially deadly virus COVID-19 is plaguing everywhere and people all over the world are experiencing change with the growing pandemic. We’re being challenged not only with our health and safety, but also with our businesses and commerce worldwide. Countries are implementing different kinds of protocols to prevent the spread of the disease to their population, including self-isolating and locking down their citizens. These actions have already impacted the global market as stocks have slowed down to almost a halt and sales are now at its lowest in years because most stores and businesses are being forced to shut down. This is the indirect impact of how terrified people are to leave their homes and shop in physical stores just to avoid being potentially contaminated. With this huge factor to consider, e-commerce is set to also experience significant changes this year.
People are stuck in their homes in an attempt to practice social distancing, and there is the potential of prompting them to consider utilizing other means to purchase the products they need. This is where e-commerce steps in. It’s an asset your business should consider utilizing during these times. This could boost sales in the products or services that your business offers!
Not a lot of businesses understand this, but e-commerce is actually a low risk investment. One of the reasons is because advertising costs less, and it’s less of a hassle. Physical ads take time and money to prepare and send out, while digital ads and digital marketing campaigns are affordable and easy to circulate publicly. You also don’t have to worry about hiring additional staff, having an e-commerce website can be automated with chatbots for basic frequently asked questions. Even if you’ve been forced to shut down your physical store during this crisis, you can still easily setup an e-commerce store with a small cost, time and effort. All in all, you can save time and money for your business with the least risk. When done right, this can be a huge boost to your sales and brand exposure.
A physical store will always have its limits, especially with location. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, you were only able to reach your clients that lived near your location. Now, with stay-at-home orders under mandatory effect in many of our main cities, you can’t reach any of those clients. With e-commerce, you won’t have that issue. It’s a digital platform within the world wide web, and you can practically reach as many people as you can imagine. E-commerce is a global platform that can offer a lot for your business, especially when there is a deadly virus attacking our society and your business may have temporarily shut down.
In the long run, a wider reach for you may mean bigger and better possibilities for your brand. With how difficult it is at this moment to maintain a physical store, e-commerce can provide you with the assistance to keep your brand alive and to provide your customers with a way to keep buying from you. This will also prove to your clients that we’re all in this together, even during difficult times. Take advantage of e-commerce because studies show that there will possibly be a higher rate of consumer traffic with e-commerce than any other year before.
In 2020, we can’t ignore the impact of physical stores worldwide. People will still want to shop in a physical store once the chaos is over and we’re back to our regular lives. However, the trend for e-commerce is here to stay and will continue to grow. E-commerce is a tendency that will continue to rise especially now when people are forced to stay at home during these challenging times. There is already is a shift with the preferences in retail and you should be there along with it so you can stay up to date and possibly surpass your competitors in the near future.