Annuschka du Preez, Account Executive at The Blue Room, shares her research and insights into why you, as a small business owner, should adapt your business strategy to the post-covid world.
South Africa is going through a very interesting time. After the National Lockdown is lifted, you as a small business owner in the retail sector might have to reconsider your business strategy so it addresses your customers’ renewed expectations.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected customers’ shopping excursions drastically. It has forced them to think smart when it comes to their shopping lists, which now have to meet not only their long-term needs, but also their personal safety in a shopping environment. It’s only natural that after customers’ thinking in terms of shopping has been limited for more than 35 days, it will influence their future behaviour and not necessarily in a positive way. A study conducted pre-lockdown in March 2020 by GlobalWebIndex, found that 71% of South Africans will now avoid crowded places – of which 50% have reduced their visits to bars, cafés and restaurants. Only 18% of South Africans strongly agreed with how local shops and businesses handled the outbreak. After lockdown it will therefore be imperative for you, the small business owner, to gauge what your customers’ needs are so you can reclaim their loyalty.
There are various options for figuring out how to meet customers’ needs, but some of the most effective ways are to employ a company who specialises in customer research, such as Serendipityremix and Urban Studies. These companies can provide mystery shoppers, set up questionnaires and create focus groups. They will work through the answers and commentary in order to present their findings in the form of a quantitative report.
With 18% of South Africans willing to delay their purchases until the countries’ outbreak is over and only 7% who will wait until the outbreak begins to decrease globally, small business owners have cause for optimism. It is therefore important to ensure any and all above mentioned issues are tackled and resolved.
The Blue Room offers a wide range of retail and corporate marketing solutions, as well as communication that will elevate your brand. Interested in what we can do for you? Click here to view our full list of retail and communications services.
To find out more – and to give your business the edge – call us on 021 553 0315 / email info@theblueroom.co.za.
Written by Annuschka du Preez: Account Executive, The Blue Room