COVID-19, although a teeny-tiny virus, has created a big-bang disruption in the entire world right from our health, personal to professional life. The world is experiencing both the bad and the good effect of it and who knows what more is yet to come.
The Bad and Good of Coronavirus Pandemic
The bad we already know that it is taking lives every single day all around the world, people are forced to stay home, offline businesses have been closed, migrants are stranded with no clue how to get to their home, many sectors like tourism, aviation, realty, fashion are worst-hit which may take months to recover, education has come to standstill, the healthcare system is pressurized, people are losing their jobs, savings are compromised, the list is long, but, there have been some good effects of the deadly pandemic as well. As we humans were forced to stay home, the pollution decreased, the air and water become clear, the chirping of birds was audible while animals came out, people began to spend time with their loved ones, and last but not least, online businesses experienced a sudden surge signifying the importance of eCommerce in the present times.
The COVID-19 Challenges Faced by Businesses
To contain the spread of the virus when a lockdown was implemented across the entire world, both offline and online business experienced losses due to the imposed restrictions. While offline businesses went into complete shutdown, eCommerce was allowed for only essential items but with certain limitations which raised the worry about the continuity of the business for both, offline and online.
Now, be it B2C or B2B, the biggest challenge the coronavirus outbreak has bought upon is the changing behaviour of consumers. With the majority of them migrating to online over offline, the real struggle for offline retailers is to how to get online and for those who are already online – is to how to make their eCommerce store a success among the competitive crowd.
Proven Ways to Overcome COVID-19 Challenges
Although the importance of online presence was proved during the pandemic, still many online businesses experienced very minimum demand due to the lack of features and worth in attracting customers, hence; if you already have an eCommerce store, it’s time to go through it as consumer behaviour has changed and the competition is fierce out there. So, how to make your eCommerce store stand out among others? Let’s see.
- Update or redesign your eCommerce store. People are not ready to wait and hence neither should your online store make them do that. Check your website speed, optimize, go for SEO, do what is necessary for your eCommerce store to serve your B2B customers well and good.
- Make their navigation and shopping easy on your store. Include necessary features like product search, product filter, easy registration, guest login and checkout, streamlined and quick for customers to find and shop from your eCommerce store without getting irritated and abandoning halfway.
- Amid COVID-19 outbreaks, mobile shopping is rapidly increased. So, keeping up with time, eCommerce retailers should serve responsive and optimized online store to mobile users to grab more customer attention. Progressive web apps are capable of winning customers that every retailer must take into account.
- Offer contactless delivery. Show that the safety of your employees and customers is your utmost priority by sharing how you are taking precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the virus which will strengthen the trust factor of customers in you.
- Outline your shipping and returns policy. With people panic buying, there is a sudden swell in orders which is leading to inventory becoming out-of-stock. Moreover, with lockdown restrictions, even the delivery is getting delayed, hence; it is important to keep your customers informed about the shipping of their orders. Letting customers know when they will get their order, or when the products will be back in your inventory, will reduce customer service enquiries while giving you confidence in your brand. Don’t forget to be clear and transparent about your return or exchange policy.
- Include some latest technologies like chatbots, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, to support and connect with customers more while giving them a seamless shopping experience.
- Make them feel valued. Ask them for ratings, reviews, and feedback to serve them better as it is their opinion that will attract other customers to your eCommerce store more.
For offline B2B store owners, the only way to overcome the challenge is to get a B2B ecommerce software solution developed at the hands of the best B2B eCommerce solution provider with all the above-said features which will help you steer your business through the pandemic and even after that without any hiccups.
Conclusion
You might have understood by now how much important an eCommerce store is in today’s time and for the future ahead. Moreover, in order to keep up with the changing behaviour of consumers, getting B2B ecommerce software is the only way out which you must do without wasting any more time.
Author Bio:
Rakesh Jain is CEO and Co-founder of MobiCommerce that renders online B2B eCommerce Software Solutions supports distributors, physical stores, manufacturers, web stores, partners and in-house sales. From planning to designing to exploring; he and his offers B2B solution at every stage in a way that is profitable and focused on business success. His certified B2B eCommerce developers keep in touch with the current trends to leverage the latest technology in-store development that helps in growing business to a greater extent.
