Wed, 14 Apr 2021
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If this seemingly endless, miserable pandemic has taught us anything, it’s surely taught us the value of community. We need to look out for each other. That’s been made abundantly clear. This can, though, provide opportunities for new approaches to business. Several local retailers have adapted their models to providing services that they didn’t pre-COVID. Some smaller general stores (like for instance, Newby’s) began to offer delivery services for housebound customers, while others set up “click-and-collect” options. In both of these instances, customers and retailers alike are able to benefit from a unique and otherwise potentially disastrous set of circumstances.
So, what can we take from this as life begins to return slowly back to normal?
1) We’re all in this together
We live on a small Island, and our lives are necessarily fairly intertwined. This can be taken as a positive for all of us. We can work to make it so, to the benefit of all of us. As retailers, it can be surprisingly simple to take that extra step to help out our customers where possible.
2) Relationships are key
Word-of-mouth in a small community matters. If retailers and customers can build a close relationship, then this helps everybody. In a world of social media and intimate interconnectedness, opinions can carry weight – so fostering good relationships is an important aid to being seen and being valued. Good business-customer relationships work both ways. A happy customer can be your best advert.
3) “When life gives you lemons…”.
It’s fair to say that small retail businesses, especially, have been handed whole bunches of lemons over the past year. We wouldn’t pretend that there are magic solutions for everybody, but there are ways in which many retailers have been able to respond to circumstances. The delivery and collection services mentioned above are prime examples of this. What’s more, they’re visual and practical illustrations of customer care – and if a customer feels you care, they’re more likely to recommend you.
4) Hi-Vis Business
You need to be seen. That’s become blindingly obvious. Lockdown has seen many businesses establish or enhance an online presence. Whether it’s simply increased usage of social media or the establishment of new E-Commerce websites, they’ve taken the chance to make themselves and their products and services available to customers at any time. As society continues to change and rebuild, this is becoming less optional and more essential. The businesses who grow and prosper will be those who learn to adapt, and the online world can be where that starts.
In conclusion, then, we’re going through a time of fundamental changes. Changes that were, it could be argued, likely to happen anyway, but which have been driven forward by the new world we’re finding ourselves having to come to terms with. ShopIOM has been built to be a part of this, by helping you and your business get seen easily.
