Businesses everywhere are facing uncertainty. This new world of no-contact has imposed new restrictions for businesses. Operations will never be normal again and businesses need to shift to new ways of working. Especially now, businesses are looking for online means of reaching out to customers. Whether it is building a new customer base or selling online – businesses are focusing on digital commerce solutions. Essentially, businesses are building a new model of operation itself. In order to do this, businesses need to evaluate their strengths, limitations and their customer preferences and apply these insights to create a new normal for operations.

Understand your customers and analyze your business

A forward thinking business strategy begins with the solid understanding of two things – your customers and your business. Spend some time thinking about the key customers you can each out to and gain feedback or think about your team members and get some insights into the operation of your business. It is equally important to understand the current state of your industry and analyze the overarching issues like supply chain difficulties and other workflow  issues that can ultimately impact customer experiences. Ask yourself what might be different for customers now – and how you can bridge the gap in this new contactless world.

Stay engaged with customers

Times are uncertain and marketing and customer engagement initiatives are more important than ever. Utilize all the possible communication channels you have – email lists and commerce sites to build constant engagement with the customer. This will build long term relationships with customers. This keeps your business on the top of the minds of the communities you wish to serve. If you haven’t developed a social media plan yet, now is the time to invest in social media! If you already have a social media campaign, decide how best to engage your existing customers and bring in new!

Existing trends are the answer

Customers are trying to sustain their daily routines and are getting only essential needs online. Web traffic is surging in unexpected places. Ecommerce landscape is seeing unforeseen traffic. It’s essential to stay on top of things and monitor trends – which products are seeing rise in sales and which products spike interest. Target your campaigns accordingly.

Keep your customers updates of what you are up to

When things get tough, we need to toughen up. Businesses need to modify existing operations and decide upon how effectively they can serve customers with the available means. It’s also important to keep your customers updated about what you are doing and why. So, if you moved a particular service online make sure they are notified. If you discontinued a particular service or placed it on hold until the situation gets better, make sure you inform them. This will keep your existing customer base loyal as far as possible. If you don’t already have live chat features or some interesting way for your shoppers to contact you, it’s time to implement that. It’s time to establish a new order. Now more than ever, it is important to be transparent with your customers about your change in policies or change in the way you will serve them etc. Make sure you update these details on your ecommerce site as well as update customers via emails etc. If there are any delays due to logistics or shipping disruptions – customers need to be informed.

Now, more than ever, is the time to establish a new normal for #businesses.

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