This pandemic is a real problem for the entire world. Countries are in lockdown, and the world’s economy is crashing— it is an alarming situation for all businesses across the globe. However, many companies are finding ways to boost themselves up rather than bunker down until the storm passes. Business-minds are able to find gaps in the market and fill them with their services and products.
If you are a businessperson struggling to stay afloat during the pandemic, then today might be your lucky day. In this article, you will learn about the most effective ways to beat the odds and pass through the storm.
List Your Products or Services on an Existing Online Marketplace
In the current landscape, leaving their houses is out of the question for most people. You cannot expect customers to flood into your store, even during a global pandemic. Therefore, if customers cannot come to you, you will have to go to them. In addition, the best way to reach your customers is through existing online marketplaces.
Customers have no other choice but to depend on online marketplaces for their goods and services. However, when selling online, listing your product on an existing store or website is better than opening a separate store.
Opening a new online store involves many complicated steps, and can be hard to manage. You will need to market the store, offer initial discounts, and start from scratch. It also does not hurt that customers know more about these online marketplaces, which brings in more business.
Look into StoresGo if you are looking to start selling online. They offer you free listings and a guide on how you can market your products. This guide also offers tips on how to generate more leads.
However, online stores are an excellent way to promote regular brick and mortar stores. Taking your business online will help you get more leads from around the country. More people will get to know about your store that does not live near your store.
Show People That You Are Keeping Track of All the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s)
Right now, the virus is the only thing on people's minds. Therefore, you need to ensure your customers that you are keeping track of the COVID-19 SOPs. This one thing will fill your customer's hearts with trust.
The best way of building this trust in people is by showing them what is going on in your store. You can make a video showing that all your employees are wearing protective gear when packaging or preparing products. Another useful hack to winning people's trust is adding a sticker to the packaging that shows you followed the necessary guidelines. For example, "100% clean". It will show and leave a good impression that you care about your customers’ health.
Improve Your Customer Service
Since you are going online, customer service will play a crucial role in building your brand’s image. Customers will have many ways to contact you. However, you need to ensure there is someone who will make them feel heard. Nevertheless, good customer service shows customers that you value them and want them to have a better experience.
A business needs to cater to all of their customers, as well as make it easier for them to contact your business. For this reason, you must get an offline number where customers can contact you instantly.
On the other hand, take notes that a business does not take a break. You need to provide your services at all times. You need to serve your customer 365 days a year. Therefore, you should probably consider hiring a customer representative for daytime and nighttime.
Provide Quality Service
Excellent quality service is essential for running a business. You can hear many stories about the market crashing because of lousy service. Therefore, you must provide your customers with quality service.
However, a business needs to have a holistic approach while providing their service. A business needs to improve all aspects of their trade. These can include the quality of the product, its packaging, the customer service, and, most importantly, hygiene standards when making the product.
The first step in providing excellent service is giving the customer what they need. Checking and rechecking to make sure that the delivered product is the same that you promised on the site and that the packing is thorough and meaningful. Nevertheless, it is clean, hygienic, and meets all the WHO’s guidelines.
The Site Design and Speed
Research shows that customers of today want everything very, very fast; so consider listing your products on an online marketplace that has a simple layout and loads at top speed.
According to observation, around 54% of sites take approximately four seconds to load. Therefore, it is crucial that your website also takes minimal time. If a site takes a long time, people skip the site and move towards another store.
On the other hand, you also need to make sure that your page has a very user-friendly layout. If it is too complicated to understand, customers will also leave your site.
Final Feedback
In the current circumstances, you should move over to online marketplaces to boost your business. People after the Pandemic will still be using an online platform as their primary method of shopping. The primary goal is the ultimate comfort and convenience, which online stores can provide.
If you are looking for a decent online store to list your products, then check out StoresGo. They will help you set up a store for free and guide you about the right way to list your products.